Vitaminas e Minerais

Vitamin D and Breast Cancer - Chemoprevention or Therapy?

Abstract

Gruber-Bzura BM

Most evidence studies have concluded that there is an inverse association between blood levels of calcidiol and cancer incidence and survival. These findings especially apply in colorectal and breast cancer (BC). The phenomenon of the multidirectional activity of vitamin D is possibly due to the presence of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in most non-skeletal human cells including cancer cells. The crucial is that a wide range of the genes regulated by VDR are related with cell proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis and metastasis. The aim of this paper was to present recent data on the possible role of vitamin D as an chemopreventive or therapeutic agent against BC through considering the anticancer mechanisms induced by this vitamin as well as presenting the results of clinical studies on the impact of vitamin D status on BC incidence, survival and response to therapy. This review is based on an electronic search of articles in the PubMed database, including papers published mostly within last five years in that field and selected according to the following criteria: well commented studies concerning the association between vitamin D status and BC risk, response to therapy or survival, with the vitamin D supplementation outline and statistical data.