Vitamin D may raise survival rates among cancer patients

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-04/tes-vdm042514.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 29-Apr-2014

Contact: Jenni Glenn Gingery
The Endocrine Society
Vitamin D may raise survival rates among cancer patients
Analysis finds strongest evidence of benefit in breast, colorectal cancers

Washington, DC—Cancer patients who have higher levels of vitamin D when they are diagnosed tend to have better survival rates and remain in remission longer than patients who are vitamin D-deficient, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

The body naturally produces vitamin D after exposure to sunlight and absorbs it from certain foods. In addition to helping the body absorb the calcium and phosphorus needed for healthy bones, vitamin D affects a variety of biological processes by binding to a protein called a vitamin D receptor. This receptor is present in nearly every cell in the body.

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Researchers found the strongest link between vitamin D levels and survival in breast cancer, lymphoma and colorectal cancer. There was less evidence of a connection in people with lung cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, melanoma or Merkel cell carcinoma, but the available data were positive.

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