Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI, NIH, DHHS.
Vitamin D compounds inhibit prostate tumorigenesis experimentally, but epidemiological data are inconsistent with respect to prostate cancer risk, with some studies suggesting non-significant positive associations.
The 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]-prostate cancer relation was examined in a nested case-control study within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study of 50-69 year old Finnish men. We matched 1,000 controls to 1,000 cases diagnosed during up to 20 years of follow-up based on age (± 1 year) and blood collection date (± 30 days). Conditional multivariate logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Statistical significance testing was two-sided.
Cases had non-significantly 3% higher serum 25(OH)D (P=0.19). ORs (95% CIs) for increasing season-specific quintiles of 25(OH)D concentrations were 1.00 (reference), 1.29 (0.95-1.74), 1.34 (1.00-1.80), 1.26 (0.93-1.72), and 1.56 (1.15-2.12)(Ptrend=0.01). Analyses based on pre-specified clinical categories and season-adjusted values yielded similar results. These findings appeared stronger for aggressive disease (OR [95% CI] for fifth quintile of serum 25(OH)D=1.70 [1.05-2.76]), and among men with greater physical activity (1.85 (1.26-2.72), Ptrend=0.002), higher serum total cholesterol (2.09 (1.36-3.21), Ptrend=0.003) or alpha-tocopherol (2.00 (1.30-3.07), Ptrend=0.01), higher intakes of total calcium (1.82 (1.20-2.76), Ptrend=0.01) or vitamin D (1.69 (1.04-2.75), Ptrend=0.08), or those who had received the trial alpha-tocopherol supplements (1.74 (1.15-2.64), Ptrend=0.006).
Our findings indicate that men with higher vitamin D blood levels may be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Impact: Greater caution is warranted with respect to recommendations for high-dose vitamin D supplementation and higher population target blood levels.
Written by:
Albanes D, Mondul AM, Yu K, Parisi D, Horst R, Virtamo J, Weinstein S. Are you the author?
Reference: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 Jul 22. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-11-0403
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 21784952
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