Photodynamic Therapy used to kill cancer in mice was improved 4X by Vitamin D – Feb 2015

Vitamin D enhances the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in a murine model of breast cancer

Kishore R. Rollakanti 1,2, Sanjay Anand 2,3 andEdward V. Maytin 1,2,3,*
Cancer Medicine: online: 25 FEB 2015, DOI: 10.1002/cam4.361

VitaminDWiki Summary

Chemicals are put into bloodstream which attach themselves to cancerous cells
A laser (633 nm = red) is used to activate those chemicals to kill a wide variety of cancerous cells.
This is called Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Active vitamin D was found to improve the activation by 3X – in mice with breast cancer
Speculation is that active vitamin D will aide PDT for a variety of human cancers

Cutaneous metastasis occurs more frequently in breast cancer than in any other malignancy in women, causing significant morbidity. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which combines a porphyrin-based photosensitizer and activation by light, can be employed for breast cancer (especially cutaneous metastases) but tumor control after PDT has not surpassed traditional treatments methods such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy up to now. Here, we report that breast cancer nodules in mice can be effectively treated by preconditioning the tumors with 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol; Vit D) prior to administering 5-aminolevulinate (ALA)-based PDT. Breast carcinoma tumors (MDA-MB-231 cells implanted subcutaneously in nude mice) received systemic Vit D (1 μg/kg) for 3 days prior to receiving ALA. The addition of Vit D increased intratumoral accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) by 3.3 ± 0.5-fold, relative to mice receiving ALA alone. Bioluminescence imaging in vivo and immunohistochemical staining confirmed that tumor-specific cell death after ALA-PDT was markedly enhanced (36.8 ± 7.4-fold increase in TUNEL-positive nuclei; radiance decreased to 14% of control) in Vit D pretreated tumors as compared to vehicle-pretreated tumors. Vit D stimulated proliferation (10.7 ± 2.8-fold) and differentiation (9.62 ± 1.7-fold) in tumor cells, underlying an augmented cellular sensitivity to ALA-PDT. The observed enhancement of tumor responses to ALA-PDT after low, nontoxic doses of Vit D supports a new combination approach that deserves consideration in the clinical setting, and offers potential for improved remission of cutaneous breast cancer metastases.

4X more destruction of cancer cells when adding active vitamin D

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Note and speculation by Henry Lahore

  1. PDT requires that the person stay away from strong light for many days, weeks?
  2. The laser light does not go very deeply thru tissue (I designed, built and have been using Low Level Laser Therapy for years)
    PDT had required minor surgery to shine the light on cancerous breast cells
    Perhaps the 3X to 4X increased sensitivty due to vitamin D will eliminate the need for the minor surgery.
  3. While this study used active vitamin D, I am unaware of any reason that standard (unactivated) vitamin D would not also work

PDT of skin cancer in mice also aided by vitamin D - March 2015

Clinical potential for vitamin D as a neoadjuvant for photodynamic therapy of nonmelanoma skin cancer
Proc. SPIE 9308, Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in Photodynamic Therapy XXIV, 93080H (March 2, 2015); doi:10.1117/12.2077234
Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in Photodynamic Therapy XXIV
Edward V. Maytin ; Sanjay Anand ; Kishore Rollakanti
David H. Kessel; Tayyaba Hasan
San Francisco, California, United States | February 07, 2015

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), comprising basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), is the most common form of human cancer worldwide. Effective therapies include surgical excision, cryotherapy, and ionizing radiation, but all of these cause scarring. ALA-based PDT is a non-scarring modality used routinely for NMSC in Europe but not in the USA, primarily due to lingering uncertainties about efficacy. We have identified three agents (methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, and vitamin D) that can be used as neoadjuvants, i.e., can be given as a pretreatment prior to ALA-PDT, to improve the efficacy of tumor killing in mouse models of NMSC. Vitamin D (VD3) is the most recent neoadjuvant on this list. In this presentation we make the case that VD3 may be superior to the other agents to improve results of ALA-PDT skin cancer treatment. The active form of VD3 (calcitriol) is available topically as a pharmaceutical grade cream or ointment (FDA-approved for psoriasis), and works well for boosting ALA-PDT tumor treatment in mouse models. For deep tumors not reachable by a topical route, calcitriol can be given systemically and is very effective, but carries a risk of causing hypercalcemia as a side effect. To circumvent this risk, we have conducted experiments with the natural dietary form of VD3 (cholecalciferol), and showed that this improves ALA-PDT efficacy almost to the same extent as calcitriol. Because cholecalciferol does not increase serum calcium levels, this represents a potentially extremely safe approach. Data in mouse models of BCC and SCC will be presented.

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