Elevated serum levels of vitamin D may be associated with a reduced risk of death from prostate cancer, researchers reported in the British Journal of Cancer (2009;100;450-454).
In a study of 160 prostate cancer patients, those with medium and high serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol) were at 67% and 84% decreased risk of death from prostate cancer, respectively, compared with patients who had a low level.
Among the 97 men receiving hormone therapy, medium and high calcidiol levels were associated with 82% and 91% decreased risk. Medium and high calcidiol levels were defined as 50-80 and greater than 80 nmol/L, respectively.
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The researchers, led by Trude Eid Robsahm, PhD, of The Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-based Cancer Research, Oslo, concluded that serum calcidiol levels may be involved in disease progression, and this patient group may benefit from increasing the serum level of vitamin D if it is below 50 nmol/L.
