Breast Cancer severity strongly associated with low vitamin D – May 2017

Pretreatment Serum Concentration of Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Characteristics: A Prospective Observational Mediterranean Study

Clinical Breast Cancer DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2017.05.007
Giuseppe Buono giulibuo at libero.it, Mario Giuliano, Carmine De Angelis, Rossella Lauria, Valeria Forestieri, Matilde Pensabene, Dario Bruzzese, Sabino De Placido, Grazia Arpino

Background
Recent studies of the correlation between breast cancer (BC) and vitamin D yielded contrasting results. Although preclinical and clinical evidence has implicated vitamin D in BC prevention and outcome, little is known about the link between vitamin D and specific BC histologically defined subtypes. In the attempt to clarify this association we correlated vitamin D levels with BC characteristics.

Patients and Methods
We enrolled 220 pre- and postmenopausal women with early BC in this prospective observational trial. Data on the patients' clinical and specific BC pathological characteristics were collected and related to vitamin D levels, stratified in deficient (< 20 ng/mL), insufficient (20-30 ng/mL), and sufficient (> 30 ng/mL). BC subtypes were defined according to the 14th St Gallen Breast Cancer Conference.

Results
Deficient vitamin D levels were correlated with Grade 3 (P = .015) and node-positive (P = .043) BC, and with a higher body mass index (P = .017). Insufficient vitamin D levels were associated with estrogen receptor expression in the primary tumor (P = .033). Vitamin D levels were unrelated to the histological molecular subtypes of BC.

Conclusion
Deficient vitamin D levels were correlated with more aggressive disease, namely, node-positive high grade BC, and with obesity. Should our findings be confirmed in larger prospective studies, nutritional programs designed to reduce body weight, and vitamin D supplementation might be considered a BC prevention strategy.

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