Introduction
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, accounting for as many as 1.7 million new cases yearly and one half million deaths in 2012. While most studies have focused on the relationship between vitamin D and incidence of breast cancer, only a few studies have investigated the possible relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D status and cancer survival rates (3-7). This meta-analysis was developed to determine whether higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] at diagnosis is associated with longer survival of patients with breast cancer. The study authors says that high serum 25(OH)D was associated with lower mortality from breast cancer and that serum 25(OH)D in all patients with breast cancer should be restored to the normal range (30-80 ng/ml), with appropriate monitoring. LINK ON SLIDESHOW ABOVE FOR MORE ON THE STUDY.
Materials and Methods: A meta-analysis was performed of five studies of the relationship between 25(OH)D and mortality from breast cancer. A pooled hazard ratio was calculated using a random-effects model. The Der Simonian-Laird test was used to assess homogeneity. Results: Higher serum concentrations of 25(OH)D were associated with lower casefatality rates after diagnosis of breast cancer. Specifically, patients in the highest quintile of 25(OH)D had approximately half the death rate from breast cancer as those in the lowest.
Study was published in Anticancer Research, International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment, March 2014, Vol. 34, No. 3
By Sharif B. Mohr, Edward Gorham, June Kim, Heather Hofflich and Cedrick Garland
