Gastrointestinal Cancers - mostly positive Vitamin D studies – May 2019

Vitamin D and Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Narrative Review.

Dig Dis Sci. 2019 May;64(5):1098-1109. doi: 10.1007/s10620-018-5400-1. Epub 2018 Dec 3.
Goyal H1, Perisetti A2, Rahman MR2, Levin A3, Lippi G4.
1 Mercer University School of Medicine, 707 Pine St, Macon, GA, 31201, USA. doc.hemant at yahoo.com.
2 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA.
3 Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
4 Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

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!!!!Table 1 Preclinical and clinical studies on the role of vitamin D in various gastrointestinal cancers

Calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D3) performs various activities throughout the body. Although low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are associated with several disease processes such as risk of fractures and falls, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus, recent evidence attests that this important hormone also regulates several cellular pathways involved in cancer development and progression. Calcitriol modulates several genes controlling gut physiology and calcium homeostasis and also maintains the integrity of epithelial barriers, regulates the absorption of phosphate and calcium, and modulates host defense against pathogens and inflammatory response by interplaying with several types of secretory and immune cells. Vitamin D deficiency is significantly related to increased risk of developing certain types of cancer. This deficiency can be prevented by vitamin D supplementation which is both economical and safe. This can lower the risk of developing cancer and also improve the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal malignancy, but epidemiological data remain inconsistent. Several retrospective observational studies have demonstrated the benefits of vitamin D supplementation, but a few randomized controlled trials have not seemingly supported the beneficial role of vitamin D supplementation in gastrointestinal cancers. Therefore, in this literature review, we aimed to examine the possible role of vitamin D in gastrointestinal malignancies, including gastric, esophageal, pancreatic, hepatic, and colorectal cancers.