Symposium in Print on the Epidemiology of Vitamin D and Cancer

Cedric F. Garland

With this issue, we conclude a set of papers assembled for a Symposium-in-Print on the epidemiological evidence relating vitamin D deficiency with the risk of several major cancers and the role of vitamin D in recurrence, metastasis, and death from cancer.

A review by Mohr (1) describes the scientific discovery that vitamin D and calcium adequacy are associated with lower incidence and mortality rates from colon, breast, ovarian, and several other cancers. Giovannucci (2) examined the association of vitamin D status with risk of cancer in the Nurses Health Study, Physicians Health Study, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Methods used for ascertainment of vitamin D status in these cohorts included analysis of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the predominant circulating form of vitamin D, in serum collected from healthy individuals before diagnosis of cancer; prospective analyses of oral intake of vitamin D; and modeling of serum 25(OH)D levels based on area of residence, skin pigmentation, and other personal characteristics.

Format: PDF

Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches

Pages: 2