Vitamin D deficiency occurs when the body has too little amount of the compound in the body. A deficiency of Vitamin D can lead to thin, brittle or misshapen bones and consuming Vitamin D supplements is the main treatment to increase its level in the body.
Now, a new research has indicated that for patients with advanced skin cancer, it may be important to maintain normal vitamin D levels when receiving immunotherapy medications called immune checkpoint inhibitors. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
According to scientists, Vitamin D has many effects on the body, including the regulation of the immune system. To understand whether levels of vitamin D might impact the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors, investigators analyzed the blood of 200 patients with advanced melanoma both before and every 12 weeks during immunotherapy treatment.
The scientists found that a favorable response rate to immune checkpoint inhibitors was observed in 56.0 percent of patients in the group with normal baseline vitamin D levels or normal levels obtained with vitamin D supplementation, compared with 36.2 percent in the group with low vitamin D levels without supplementation. Progression‐free survival—the time from treatment initiation until cancer progression—in these groups was 11.25 and 5.75 months, respectively.
“Of course, vitamin D is not itself an anti-cancer drug, but its normal serum level is needed for the proper functioning of the immune system, including the response that anti-cancer drugs like immune checkpoint inhibitors affect. In our opinion, after appropriately randomized confirmation of our results, the assessment of vitamin D levels and its supplementation could be considered in the management of melanoma,” said lead author Łukasz Galus, MD, of Poznan University of Medical Sciences, in Poland in a statement.
The link between vitamin D and cancer has been pointed out in previous studies as well. According to a 2017 review published in Breast Cancer Journal, up to 96 percent of the breast cancer population is also deficient in vitamin D. Researchers believe the link between vitamin D and breast cancer risk has to do with vitamin D receptor (VDR) genes.
What are the symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency?
- Fatigue
- Bone pain
- Muscle weakness, muscle aches or muscle cramps
- Mood changes, like depression
What are the causes of Vitamin D Deficiency?
- Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sunlight
- Your body isn’t properly absorbing or using vitamin D
- Medical conditions like Cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease, Obesity, Kidney disease and liver disease.
What is the treatment of Vitamin D deficiency?
Treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves getting more vitamin D — through diet and supplements.