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. 2019 Jan 29;11(2):289.
doi: 10.3390/nu11020289.

Vitamin D Status and Association of VDR Genetic Polymorphism to Risk of Breast Cancer in Ethiopia

Jemal Hussien Ahmed  1   2   3 , Eyasu Makonnen  4   5 , Alan Fotoohi  6   7 , Getnet Yimer  8   9 , Daniel Seifu  10 , Mathewos Assefa  11 , Wondmagegnehu Tigeneh  12 , Abraham Aseffa  13 , Rawleigh Howe  14 , Eleni Aklillu  15
Affiliations

Vitamin D Status and Association of VDR Genetic Polymorphism to Risk of Breast Cancer in Ethiopia

Jemal Hussien Ahmed et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Emerging evidence associates vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor (VDR) genetic variations with risk for breast cancer. This study investigated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its association with tumor characteristics and the implications of VDR genetic variations for risk of breast cancer in Ethiopia. This unmatched case⁻control study involved 392 female breast cancer patients and 193 controls. The plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D₃) level was quantified in chemotherapy-naïve (N = 112) and tamoxifen-treated patients (N = 89). Genotyping for the VDR common variant alleles rs7975232 (ApaI), rs2228570 (FokI), and rs731236 (TaqI) was done. Eighty-six percent of the patients were vitamin D deficient (<50 nmol/L). Chemotherapy-naïve breast cancer patients had a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (91.9% vs. 78.3%) compared to the tamoxifen-treated group (p < 0.001). The prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L) was significantly higher in chemotherapy-naïve (41.1%) than tamoxifen-treated (11.2%) patients. Vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with tumor characteristics or VDR genotype. The rs2228570 GG genotype was associated with increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.44, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-2.06). Our result indicates that rs2228570 might be a moderate risk factor for breast cancer development in the Ethiopian population. The high prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency in treatment-naïve breast cancer patients indicates the need for nutritional supplementation of vitamin D at the time of chemotherapy initiation.

Keywords: Ethiopia; VDR; breast cancer; genetic variations; vitamin D deficiency.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding source did not have any role in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in writing the paper; or in the decision to submit it.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow chart depicting study groups and participant recruitment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of mean plasma 25(OH)D3 concentrations between chemotherapy-naïve patients and those on tamoxifen treatment.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Association between vitamin D deficiency status and rs7975232 (ApaI) genotype.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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