Breast Cancer severity strongly associated with low vitamin D

Created June 2017

Pretreatment Serum Concentration of Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Characteristics: A Prospective Observational Mediterranean Study

Clinical Breast Cancer DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2017.05.007

Giuseppe Buono giulibuo@libero.it, Mario Giuliano, Carmine De Angelis, Rossella Lauria, Valeria Forestieri, Matilde Pensabene, Dario Bruzzese, Sabino De Placido, Grazia Arpino

* Cancer risk reduced 65 percent by vitamin D levels greater than 40 nanograms – April 2016 * 3X increased chance of Breast Cancer if recent vitamin D levels were low – Jan 2013 * Death due to breast cancer reduced 40 percent if high vitamin D – meta-analysis April 2014 * Breast Cancer rate reduced 72 percent by vitamin D gene polymorphism CYP24A1 – Nov 2014 * Note: CYP24A1 reduces the vitamin D getting to the cells, probably without reducing the vitamin D in the blood * CYP24A1 623 hits as of June 2017 Overview Breast Cancer and Vitamin D contains the following summary and sections {include}

**~~#00F:
BC Grade Deficient
<20ng		 Insufficient
20-30 ng		 Sufficient
> 30 ng
G1 0 % 1 % 2 %
G2 16% 12 % 7 %
G3 33 % 20 % 9 % ** ~~

Background

Recent studies of the correlation between breast cancer (BC) and vitamin D yielded contrasting results. Although preclinical and clinical evidence has implicated vitamin D in BC prevention and outcome, little is known about the link between vitamin D and specific BC histologically defined subtypes. In the attempt to clarify this association we correlated vitamin D levels with BC characteristics.

Patients and Methods

We enrolled 220 pre- and postmenopausal women with early BC in this prospective observational trial. Data on the patients' clinical and specific BC pathological characteristics were collected and related to vitamin D levels, stratified in deficient (< 20 ng/mL), insufficient (20-30 ng/mL), and sufficient (> 30 ng/mL). BC subtypes were defined according to the 14th St Gallen Breast Cancer Conference.

Results

Deficient vitamin D levels were correlated with Grade 3 (P = .015) and node-positive (P = .043) BC, and with a higher body mass index (P = .017). Insufficient vitamin D levels were associated with estrogen receptor expression in the primary tumor (P = .033). Vitamin D levels were unrelated to the histological molecular subtypes of BC.

Conclusion

Deficient vitamin D levels were correlated with more aggressive disease, namely, node-positive high grade BC, and with obesity. Should our findings be confirmed in larger prospective studies, nutritional programs designed to reduce body weight, and vitamin D supplementation might be considered a BC prevention strategy.

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Tags: Breast Cancer