Vitamin D May Slow Progression of Prostate Cancer
Vitamin D May Slow Progression of Prostate Cancer – The study will be presented today at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
In a biopsy, pathologists grade tumors in the prostate on a scale known as the Gleason Grading System. Any tumor with a grade of 7 or more is likely to spread aggressively, and doctors recommend removing it surgically (prostatectomy) or via radiation. Any score lower than 7 is considered low-grade, and doctors usually observe these patients for signs of progression. In many cases, the tumor does not grow, and in some, patients may never experience any problems in their lifetime.
However, many patients opt for elective surgery to prevent later complications, and experts feel that they needlessly expose themselves to the risk of infection, urinary incontinence, and erectile dysfunction.
Based on previous research that showed that vitamin D may slow down prostate cancer, lead researcher, Bruce Hollis, Ph.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina, conducted a clinical trial where his team assigned participants planning to undergo elective prostatectomy after a biopsy to two groups. One group received 4,000 U of vitamin D per day, while the other group got a placebo. Sixty days later, the men’s prostate glands were removed and examined. The protate tumors of those receving vitamin D showed improvements, while those on placebos did not.
Researchers found that vitamin D promotes growth of a protein called differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), which reduces the cancer-causing inflammation in the prostate. According to Hollis, vitamin D may, at the very least, help prevent the aggressive progression of prostate cancer.
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