Vitamin D in the cancer patient.
Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2013 Sep;7(3):272-7. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0b013e3283640f74.
Kennel KA, Drake MT.
Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Endocrine Research Unit, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To briefly review recent work within the vitamin D and cancer field, whereas also providing context relating how these findings may impact clinical care and future research efforts.
RECENT FINDINGS: Vitamin D has now been convincingly shown both in vitro and in preclinical animal models to alter the differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis of cancer cells. Whether vitamin D prevents cancer in humans or limits cancer progression, however, remain open questions. Epidemiologic and observational data relating circulating 25(OH)D levels and cancer risk suggest an inverse relationship for most cancers including breast, colorectal, leukemia and lymphoma, and prostate, although for each malignancy there also exist studies that have failed to demonstrate such an inverse relationship. Likewise, a more recent report failed to confirm a previously reported association of increased pancreatic cancer risk in patients with higher 25(OH)D levels. A large prospective study in which patients aged at least 50 years receive 2000 IU vitamin D3 daily for 5 years, with cancer as a primary endpoint, has recently been launched.
SUMMARY: Although much effort has attempted to delineate a causal relationship between vitamin D and a wide array of human cancers, we await large-scale randomized controlled trial data for definitive answers.
PMID: 23912386
Comment by VitaminDWiki
- Far too little vitamin D for far too short of time (12 weeks). Very unlikely to be successful
- 10,000 IU daily for 24 weeks would be far better
but high vitamin D increase the effect of chemo - so much that if the chemo dose is not monitored, the effect can be lethal (reference contains the following chart)
See also VitaminDWiki
- Search VitaminDWiki for chronic lymphocytic leukemia 38 results as of Dec 2013
- Overview Cancer and vitamin D generally need > 8,000 IU to TREAT Cancer, has the following chart
This is apparently the MAYO Clinical Trial referred to
Cholecalciferol in Improving Survival in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Cancer With Vitamin D Insufficiency Random Controlled Trial, Weekly Injection for 12 weeks, 965 patients
Types of Cancer in the RCT
Adult Nasal Type Extranodal NK/T-cell Lymphoma
Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma
Contiguous Stage II Adult Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma
Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma
Male Breast Cancer
Noncontiguous Stage II Adult Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma
Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma
Stage 0 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Stage I Adult Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma
Stage I Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Stage I Colon Cancer
Stage I Cutaneous T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Stage I Rectal Cancer
Stage I Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
Stage IA Breast Cancer
Stage IB Breast Cancer
Stage II Breast Cancer
Stage II Cutaneous T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Stage IIA Colon Cancer
Stage IIA Rectal Cancer
Stage IIB Colon Cancer
Stage IIB Rectal Cancer
Stage IIC Colon Cancer
Stage IIC Rectal Cancer
Stage III Adult Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma
Stage III Cutaneous T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Stage IIIA Breast Cancer
Stage IIIA Colon Cancer
Stage IIIA Rectal Cancer
Stage IIIB Breast Cancer
Stage IIIB Colon Cancer
Stage IIIB Rectal Cancer
Stage IIIC Breast Cancer
Stage IIIC Colon Cancer
Stage IIIC Rectal Cancer
Stage IV Adult Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma
Stage IV Breast Cancer
Stage IV Cutaneous T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Stage IVA Colon Cancer
Stage IVA Rectal Cancer
Stage IVB Colon Cancer
Stage IVB Rectal Cancer