Renal cancerTreatment

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.