Extra vitamine D voor kankerpatiënten*
Onderzoekers van verschillende ziekenhuizen voor kankerpatiënten in veronderstelden dat lage bloedwaarden
vitamine D bij kankerpatiënten te wijten zou zijn aan de voedingsstatus van de patiënten. Daarom werd bij 737 kankerpatiënten die opgenomen werden de voedingsstatus vastgesteld, de BMI vastgesteld en bloedwaarden vitamine D gemeten. Uit deze gegevens bleek dat iedere patiënt die opgenomen werd te lage bloedwaarden vitamine D had ongeacht de voedingsstatus. Wel hadden patiënten met een flink overgewicht (BMI > 30) nog grotere tekorten. De onderzoekers adviseren om bij iedere kankerpatiënt bloedwaarden vitamine D te meten en de tekorten meteen met supplementen aan te pakken.
AmerikaStudy Suggests Vitamin D Screening And Appropriate Supplementation Indicated For All Cancer Patients
Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of nutritional status, according to the results of a recent study conducted at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). Based on these results, CTCA researchers determined that screening for vitamin D deficiency and aggressive vitamin D repletion should be considered for all people with cancer.
"While emerging evidence suggests the protective role of vitamin D in cancer, vitamin D status is not routinely assessed in cancer patients despite the high prevalence of malnutrition in this population," said Carolyn Lammersfeld, national director of nutrition for CTCA and a principal investigator in the study.
During the study, a consecutive case series of 737 cancer patients (302 male and 435 female) seen at CTCA between January - June 2008, were assessed for nutritional status and categorizes into three distinct classes of nutritional status: well nourished, moderately malnourished and severely malnourished. The mean age at presentation was 55.7 years (SD = 10.2) and the most common cancer types were lung (133, 18%), breast (131, 17.8%), colorectal (97, 13.2%), pancreatic (86, 11.7%), prostate (44, 6%) and ovarian (38, 5.2%). The mean vitamin D (serum 25(OH)D) was 21.9 ng/ml (SD = 13.5).
The study concluded that obese cancer patients (BMI >=30 kg/m2) had significantly lower levels of vitamin D compared to non-obese patients (BMI <30 kg/m2). BMI should be taken into account when assessing a patient's vitamin D status and more aggressive vitamin D supplementation should be considered in obese cancer patients, researchers determined.
Before the study, the researchers hypothesized that malnutrition could contribute to vitamin D deficiency and therefore expected mean serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels to be significantly lower in malnourished oncology patients. However contrary to what they expected, vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer regardless of nutritional status.
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Founded in 1988, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a national network of hospitals providing a comprehensive, fully integrative approach to cancer treatment. CTCA serves patients with advanced cancer from all 50 states at facilities located in suburban Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa and suburban Phoenix.
Source: Cancer Treatment Centers of AmericaResearchers Say More Aggressive Vitamin D Supplementation Needed In Obese Cancer Patients
(Augustus
2009)
