Prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in treatment-naive individual consecutive cancer patients
Background: There is a lack of information regarding Vitamin D deficiency in treatment-naive cancer patients. Aim: The aim of this was to study the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in cancer patients. Objectives: The objective was to measure the extent of Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Cancer Research, Statistics, and Treatment |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.crstonline.com/article.asp?issn=2590-3233;year=2020;volume=3;issue=1;spage=25;epage=31;aulast=Pandey |
| Summary: | Background: There is a lack of information regarding Vitamin D deficiency in treatment-naive cancer patients.
Aim: The aim of this was to study the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in cancer patients.
Objectives: The objective was to measure the extent of Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in treatment-naive consecutive individual cancer patients from Eastern India.
Materials and Methods: All consecutive new patients seen between April 2019 and September 2019 were offered a baseline test to measure serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D [25 (OH) D] levels along with routine investigations. Vitamin D insufficiency was diagnosed when serum 25 (OH) D level was between 20 and 30 ng/mL, whereas patients with a level <20 ng/mL were designated as Vitamin D deficient. Patients with a Vitamin D level <10 ng/mL were termed as having severe Vitamin D deficiency. Descriptive statistics and frequency distribution were used in SPSS software, and Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to compare between the categorical variables.
Results: Of 252 patients, 140 (56%) were female; median age was 51 years (range, 19–84 years) and 204 (81%) were diagnosed with solid organ malignancies. Mean (±standard deviation) Vitamin D level was 18.94 (±10.4). 169/252 (67%) had Vitamin D deficiency, whereas another 52/252 (21%) had Vitamin D insufficiency. Among these, 44/169 (26%) had severe Vitamin D deficiency. Females were more deficient compared to males, 76% versus 55% (P = 0.002). Vitamin D deficiency in younger (<50 years) and older (>50 years) population was 73% and 61% (P = 0.144); while that in solid versus hematolymphoid malignancies was 69% versus 58% (P = 0.173). In the three most common tumors, namely breast (21%), colorectal (8%), and ovary (8%), Vitamin D deficiency was noted in 75% of patients in each group. Vitamin D deficiency was the highest (84%) in esophageal and stomach cancer patients.
Conclusion: More than two-thirds of Indian cancer patients are Vitamin D deficient. Patients with upper gastrointestinal, breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancers and female patients are the most vulnerable groups. |
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| ISSN: | 2590-3233 2590-3225 |