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There is limited evidence from animal and human studies that vitamin D increases survival after diagnosis of kidney cancer.
A study of kidney cancer patients in Japan found serum 25(OH)D levels in kidney cancer patients were lower than those in controls (p< 0.001). Patients with rapid-growth tumors had lower 25(OH)D levels than did patients with slow-growth tumors (p < 0.001)1.
Animal studies also found that vitamin D reduced kidney tumor growth rates2.
Studies on serum 25(OH)D levels at time of diagnosis of breast3 and colorectal cancer4 found that those with higher levels (>30 ng/mL) had about twice the 12 year survival rate of those with lower levels.
Page last edited: 01 July 2011
References
- Fujioka, T. Suzuki, Y. Okamoto, T. Mastushita, N. Hasegawa, M. Omori, S. Prevention of renal cell carcinoma by active vitamin D3. World J Surg. 2000 Oct; 24 (10): 1205-10.
- Fujioka, T. Hasegawa, M. Ishikura, K. Matsushita, Y. Sato, M. Tanji, S. Inhibition of tumor growth and angiogenesis by vitamin D3 agents in murine renal cell carcinoma. J Urol. 1998 Jul; 160 (1): 247-51.
- Goodwin, P. J. Ennis, M. Pritchard, K. I. Koo, J. Hood, N. Frequency of vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency at breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and association with risk of distant recurrence and death in a prospective cohort study of T1-3, N0-1, M0 BC. J Clin Oncol. 2008; 26 (May 20 suppl): abstr 511.
- Ng, K. Wolpin, B. M. Meyerhardt, J. A. Wu, K. Chan, A. T. Hollis, B. W. Giovannucci, E. L. Stampfer, M. J. Willett, W. C. Fuchs, C. S. Prospective study of predictors of vitamin D status and survival in patients with colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer. 2009 Sep 15; 101 (6): 916-23.