Mapping the landscape of vitamin D in cancer studies: a systematic global investigation
Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders Volume 24, article number 78, (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-025-01594-9 PDF is behind $40 paywall
Ali Faryabi, Mohammad Amin Salari, Alaleh Dalvand, Hassan Akbarniakhaky, Ghazal Mohammadi, Hossein Aazami, Farideh Razi & Hojat Dehghanbanadaki
Purpose
This comprehensive study examines the multifaceted relationship between vitamin D and cancer, synthesizing key scientific advancements and global research trends to guide future investigations and address critical gaps in the field.
Methods
Publications on vitamin D and cancer were retrieved from Scopus up to November 2024. English-language original and review articles were analyzed using Excel, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica, focusing on publication trends, citation impacts, and research themes.
Results
A total of 11,442 publications (80.01% original articles, 19.98% reviews; 51.24% open access) were analyzed. The United States of America led in publications (38.3%) and citations (56.2%), followed by China (7.7%) and the United Kingdom (7.2%) in output, and the United Kingdom (10.6%) and Germany (6.4%) in citations. Countries with the highest citations per document were Belgium (103.4), Slovenia (87.9), and Puerto Rico (76.6).
The most frequently studied cancers in relation to vitamin D were
- breast,
- colorectal,
- prostate,
- skin,
- lung,
- ovarian,
- pancreatic,
- gastric,
- hepatocellular,
- thyroid,
- leukemia,
- multiple myeloma,
- bladder,
- lymphoma,
- osteosarcoma,
- cervical,
- endometrial, and
- glioblastoma, respectively.
Cluster analysis revealed key patterns related to vitamin D:
- Calcitriol’s chemopreventive role in breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers,
- dietary vitamin D for its involvement in ovarian cancer,
- vitamin D for regulation of cancer-related hypercalcemia,
- vitamin D deficiency links to inflammation-obesity-cancer risk,
- VDR polymorphisms affecting outcomes in lung and colorectal cancers, and
- vitamin D’s photoprotective effects on skin malignancies, and
- vitamin D in ulcerative colitis-related cancer.
The most cited articles emphasized optimal vitamin D levels and cancer prevention.
Conclusion
This study highlights the extensive research on vitamin D and its complex links to cancer, emphasizing future prospects with a focus on precision medicine approaches, including targeted supplementation and genomic analyses, to better address individual variability in cancer prevention and treatment.
VitaminDWiki – Cancer category contains:
- Cancer
301 items Overview Cancer and vitamin D - Cancer and Vitamin D - many studies
- After Cancer Diagnosis
117 items - Bladder Cancer
28 items - Breast Cancer
263 items Overview Breast Cancer and Vitamin D - Colon Cancer
147 items Overview Cancer-Colon and vitamin D - Leukemia
19 items - Liver Cancer
17 items - Lung Cancer
56 items Overview Lung cancer and vitamin D - Lymphoma Cancer
26 items - Other Cancer
67 items - Ovarian Cancer
26 items - Pancreatic Cancer
59 items - Prostate Cancer
106 items Overview Prostate Cancer and Vitamin D - Skin Cancer
121 items Overview Suntan, melanoma and vitamin D - Childhood Cancers - Vitamin D can help - many studies
- Easiest way to treat cancer – take Vitamin D – Nov 2022
- 13 Cancers are helped by Vitamin D – Biobank July 2023
- 2X increase of 14 cancers in non-seniors in 20 years (low vitamin D) – Sept 2022
- Vitamin D prevents and treats cancer in many ways – May 2021
- Those with recent cancer diagnosis had 7X increased risk of COVID-19 (more if A-A )- Dec 2020
- Deaths from many types of Cancer associated with low vitamin D- review of meta-analyses Sept 2020
- Cancer incidence and mortality is decreased if 40-60 ng of Vitamin D – April 2019
- 8 ways that Cancer might be prevented by Vitamin D - June 2019
- Cancer stem cells and Vitamin D - many studies
- Vitamin D Reduces Cancer Risk - Why Scientists Accept It but Physicians Do Not - Feb 2019
- Overview of Vitamin D Actions in Cancer – 31 page chapter in a book – 2018
- Vitamin D prevents breast cancer, reduces BC mortality, and reduces BC chemotherapy problems – Sept 2018
- Diagnosed with breast cancer – take vitamin D to cut chance of death by half – July 2018
- Melanoma 25 X more likely if low vitamin D – Feb 2018
- Better Cancer survival if higher vitamin D a decade earlier (esp. Melanoma, Kidney, Prostate)– Aug 2018
VitaminDWiki – Cancer - After diagnosis category contains:
- Most cancers reduce vitamin D levels
- Most cancer treatments (chemo, radiation) further lower Vitamin D
- Higher levels of vitamin D minimize many side-effects of cancer therapy
- High levels of vitamin D augment many chemotherapies
- High levels of vitamin D augment cancer immunotherapies
- High levels of vitamin D can kill some cancer cells 1,720 items 12/2023
- Some cancers deactivate the vitamin D receptor
Example VitaminDWiki Studies
- Cancer and Vitamin D - many studies
- Easiest way to treat cancer – take Vitamin D – Nov 2022
- Even after a Cancer diagnosis Vitamin D improves survival – meta-analysis Aug 2022
- Vitamin D is synergistic with many Cancer therapies (radiation in this case) – Aug 2021
- Vitamin D prevents and treats cancer in many ways – May 2021
- Cancer patients need more vitamin D, even those who are supplementing – observational study June 2021
- Metastatic Cancer probably reduced by vitamin D - many studies
- Colorectal Cancer treatment aided by omega-3 plus weekly Vitamin D – RCT Sept 2019
- Radiation therapy, used to treat some cancers, causes less damage if use Vitamin D (or Melatonin) – Aug 2022
- Vitamin D is synergistic with many Cancer therapies (radiation in this case) – Aug 2021
- Vitamin D prevents and treats cancer in many ways – May 2021
- Palliative care is helped by Vitamin D - many studies
- 4X less of one chemo needed after vitamin D receptor activation - June 2020
Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer survivors with high vitamin D were 3.3 X less likely to have metastases – May 2023
- Breast Cancer survival: 44% with just 10,000 IU of vitamin D per week, 33% with placebo – RCT Dec 2023
- Breast cancer recurred twice as often if have less than 20 ng of vitamin D – Dec 2018
- Breast Cancer chemotherapy 2.7 X more likely to be successful if not vitamin D deficient – Dec 2017
Vitamin D Cancer trials often fail due to any of 5 reasons
- Gave too small of dose
- Gave same size dose to everyone
more is needed by obese, dark skinned, elderly, poor health, poor gut, etc. - Got most participants above 30 ng level of vitamin D
but some Cancers, like Breast, are known to need >80 ng - Trial lasted only months instead of years - Cancers take many years to develop
- Trial only measured blood levels - 6 genes restrict how much Vitamin D gets to the Cancer cells
- Trial only used Vitamin D monotherapy
often need co-factors, such as Omega-3 or Magnesium to boost the reponse to Vitamin D
while also fighting inflammation
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