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Vitamin D deficiency indicated increased risk for prostate cancer
Low vitamin D levels were associated with increased odds of prostate cancer, according to study findings recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Study data showed that prostate cancer was most likely in black men with low vitamin D, although white men with low vitamin D also showed significant increases in rates of aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis.
Prostate cancer is 1.6 times more common among black men than white men, researchers said, and black men are 2.5 times more likely to die of the disease.
“The stronger associations in African-American men imply that vitamin D deficiency is a bigger contributor to prostate cancer in African-American men compared with European-American men,” Adam B. Murphy, MD, MBA, assistant professor in the department of urology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a press release.
Researchers measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 667 men aged 40 to 67 years.
Sensitivity analysis for serum 25-(OH)D was defined at common levels used in cancer literature, at <12 ng/mL, <16 ng/mL, <20 ng/mL and <30 ng/mL. The normal range for serum 25-(OH)D is 30 ng/mL to 80 ng/mL, according to the press release.
In men with a tumor, researchers biopsied tumor tissue and evaluated it by tumor stage and by Gleason score (range, 2-10), with a higher score indicating cancer tissue is more likely to spread.
Statistical analysis demonstrated that in men with the lowest measure of 25-(OH)D, at <12 ng/mL, prostate tissue received a higher Gleason score ≥4+4 (OR=3.66; 95% CI, 1.41-9.5) and advanced tumor stage (≥cT2b vs. ≤cT2a; OR=2.42; 95% CI, 1.14-5.1).
In black men, data showed increased odds of prostate cancer diagnosis on biopsy with 25-(OH)D levels <20 ng/mL (OR=2.43; 95% CI, 1.2-4.94). Black men demonstrated an association between 25-(OH)D levels <12 ng/mL and Gleason score ≥4+4 (OR=4.89; 95% CI, 1.59-15.07) and with advanced tumor stage (≥cT2b vs. ≤cT2a; OR=4.22; 95% CI, 1.52-11.74).
Additionally, men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer tended to have smaller prostate volume and a family history of prostate cancer, researchers wrote. Skin color, reported sun exposure and measured UV exposure were not associated with increased prostate cancer diagnoses.
“Vitamin D supplementation may be a relevant strategy for preventing prostate cancer incidence and/or tumor progression in prostate cancer patients,” Murphy said in a press release.
Disclosure:One researcher reported financial associations with Beckman Coulter, DeCode Genetics and Ohmx.