Abstract
Results of recent studies suggest that circulating levels of vitamin D may play an important role in cancer-specific outcomes. The present systematic review was undertaken to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<25nmol/L) and insufficiency (25-50nmol/L) in cancer patients and to evaluate the association between circulating calcidiol (the indicator of vitamin D status) and clinical outcomes. A systematic search of original, peer-reviewed studies on calcidiol at cancer diagnosis, and throughout treatment and survival, was conducted yielding 4,706 studies. A total of 37 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Reported mean blood calcidiol levels ranged from 24.7 to 87.4nmol/L, with up to 31% of patients identified as deficient and 67% as insufficient. The efficacy of cholecalciferol supplementation for raising the concentration of circulating calcidiol is unclear; standard supplement regimens of <1,000IU D3/day may not be sufficient to maintain adequate concentrations or prevent decreasing calcidiol. Dose-response studies linking vitamin D status to musculoskeletal and survival outcomes in cancer patients are lacking.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 611-621 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Nutrition Reviews |
Volume | 71 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Sep 2013 |
Keywords
- 25-hydroxyvitamin D
- Cancer
- Cancer-specific outcomes
- Cholecalciferol
- Vitamin D deficiency