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Cancer in children 6X more likely if very low vitamin D – Oct 2011

Vitamin D status in paediatric patients with cancer.

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2011 Oct;57(4):594-8. doi: 10.1002/pbc.22963. Epub 2011 Feb 3.
Sinha A, Avery P, Turner S, Bailey S, Cheetham T.
Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

BACKGROUND: Children with malignant disease are at increased risk of bone disorders and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D status may influence this risk and so we assessed vitamin D levels in children with malignant disease undergoing active treatment or surveillance post-therapy.

PROCEDURE: This was an outpatient-based cross-sectional study of 61 children with a history of malignancy (median age 11.1 years; range 1.5-24.4 years) and 60 control subjects (median age 8.4 years; range 0.2-18.0 years) attending hospital for the management of non-malignant disorders. Serum vitamin D (25-OH-D), parathormone levels and bone biochemistry were determined. Vitamin D status and its relationship to age, sex, ethnicity, time of sampling and presence of malignant disease was determined.

RESULTS: Vitamin D status was suboptimal in 62% of cases (25-OH-D < 50 nmol/L [20 ng/ml]). Vitamin D deficiency (25-OH-D < 25 nmol/L [10 ng/ml]) was more common in children with malignant disease than controls (21.3% vs. 3.3%; P = 0.013). Month of sampling (P < 0.001), ethnicity (P < 0.001), older age (P = 0.011), and history of malignancy (P = 0.012) were associated with a poorer vitamin D status.

CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D levels [25-OH-D] are lower in survivors of childhood cancer in comparison to control children with the majority either insufficient or deficient. Assessment and adequate replacement of vitamin D status may be of particular value in this group of children.

Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 21294242


< 10 ng/ml of vitamin D
This study does not consider the cancers which the children may later develop

See also Vitamin D Life

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