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Vitamin D and Cancer: An Historical Overview of the Epidemiology and Mechanisms

Published on Friday, 22 April 2022

Abstract

This is a narrative review of the evidence supporting vitamin D's anticancer actions.

The first section reviews the findings from ecological studies of cancer with respect to indices of solar radiation, which found a reduced risk of incidence and mortality for approximately 23 types of cancer.

Meta-analyses of observational studies reported the inverse correlations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with the incidence of 12 types of cancer.

Case-control studies with a 25(OH)D concentration measured near the time of cancer diagnosis are stronger than nested case-control and cohort studies as long follow-up times reduce the correlations due to changes in 25(OH)D with time. There is no evidence that undiagnosed cancer reduces 25(OH)D concentrations unless the cancer is at a very advanced stage.

Meta-analyses of cancer incidence with respect to dietary intake have had limited success due to the low amount of vitamin D in most diets.

An analysis of 25(OH)D-cancer incidence rates suggests that achieving 80 ng/mL vs. 10 ng/mL would reduce cancer incidence rates by 70 ± 10%.

Clinical trials have provided limited support for the UVB-vitamin D-cancer hypothesis due to poor design and execution. In recent decades, many experimental studies in cultured cells and animal models have described a wide range of anticancer effects of vitamin D compounds.

This paper will review studies showing the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, dedifferentiation, and invasion together with the sensitization to proapoptotic agents.

Moreover, 1,25-(OH)2D3 and other vitamin D receptor agonists modulate the biology of several types of stromal cells such as fibroblasts, endothelial and immune cells in a way that interferes the apparition of metastases.

In sum, the available mechanistic data support the global protective action of vitamin D against several important types of cancer.

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About this publication.

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Dihydrotachysterol, Alfacalcidol, synthetic Vitamin D3);

- Vitamin D (analogues and/or derivatives) and cancer - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - All-Trans Retinoic Acid, Analogues and/or Derivatives - Approximately 60mg per day orally: 40mg per day Beta-Carotene/β-Carotene, 10mg per day ATRA and 10mg per day Axerophthol palmitate);

- All-Trans-Retinoic Acid (ATRA - analogues and/or derivatives) - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Solution of retinoids in vitamin E in the Di Bella Method biological multitherapy;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Alpha tocopheryl acetate/Vitamin E, approximately 20 grams per day orally);

- Cancer and Vitamin E (analogues and/or derivatives) and cancer - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Beta-Carotene or β-carotene in Solution of retinoids in vitamin E in the Di Bella Method biological multitherapy;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Cyclophosphamide 50mg tablets and/or Hydroxyurea 500mg tablets, one or two per day);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Calcium, 2 grams per day, orally);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Bromocriptine and/or Cabergoline);

- Prolactin inhibitors in oncology - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Melatonin tablets. From 30-40mg/day up to 200mg/day orally in patients with advanced stage of cancer disease and/or patients without respond to traditional treatments);

- Melatonin use in cancer patients have started in 1974, when melatonin prepared according to Prof. Di Bella’s formulation [...]. For 11 days was administered to the patient, admitted to the general medical ward at the Maggiore-Pizzardi Hospital in Bologna, very slowly (over approx. 8 hours) and intravenously administered 1000 mg of melatonin for 11 days. During the course of each day, the patient was intravenously administered 4 saline drips of 500 ml, each containing ten 25 mg bottles of freeze-dried melatonin, lasting 2 hours, totaling 1000 mg per day. No other drug of any kind was administered in order to ascertain the effect of the MLT without interference [...]. From Melatonin with adenosine solubilized in water and stabilized with glycine for oncological treatment - technical preparation, effectivity and clinical findings;

- About Melatonin - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Publication: Melatonin anticancer effects: Review (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication: Key aspects of melatonin physiology: 30 years of research (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Somatostatin, Octreotide, Sandostatin LAR, analogues and/or derivatives);

- Somatostatin in oncology, the overlooked evidences - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Publication, 2018 Jul: Over-Expression of GH/GHR in Breast Cancer and Oncosuppressor Role of Somatostatin as a Physiological Inhibitor (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication, 2018 Sep: The over-expression of GH/GHR in tumour tissues with respect to healthy ones confirms its oncogenic role and the consequent oncosuppressor role of its physiological inhibitor, somatostatin: a review of the literature (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication, 2019 Aug: The Entrapment of Somatostatin in a Lipid Formulation: Retarded Release and Free Radical Reactivity (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication, 2019 Sep: Effects of Somatostatin and Vitamin C on the Fatty Acid Profile of Breast Cancer Cell Membranes (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication, 2019 Sep: Effects of somatostatin, curcumin, and quercetin on the fatty acid profile of breast cancer cell membranes (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication, 2020 Sep: Two neuroendocrine G protein-coupled receptor molecules, somatostatin and melatonin: Physiology of signal transduction and therapeutic perspectives (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- The Synergism of Somatostatin, Melatonin, Vitamins Prolactin and Estrogen Inhibitors Increased Survival, Objective Response and Performance Status In 297 Cases of Breast Cancer;