The impact of vitamin D on cancer: A mini review

Abstract

In this review, we summarize the most recent advances in vitamin D cancer research to provide molecular clarity, as well as its translational trajectory across the cancer landscape. Vitamin D is well known for its role in regulating mineral homeostasis; however, vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to the development and progression of a number of cancer types. Recent epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic studies have revealed novel vitamin D-mediated biological mechanisms that regulate cancer cell self-renewal, differentiation, proliferation, transformation, and death. Tumor microenvironmental studies have also revealed dynamic relationships between the immune system and vitamin D's anti-neoplastic properties. These findings help to explain the large number of population-based studies that show clinicopathological correlations between circulating vitamin D levels and risk of cancer development and death. The majority of evidence suggests that low circulating vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of cancers, whereas supplementation alone or in combination with other chemo/immunotherapeutic drugs may improve clinical outcomes even further. These promising results still necessitate further research and development into novel approaches that target vitamin D signaling and metabolic systems to improve cancer outcomes.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Cancer; Colorectal cancer; EMT; Epithelial to mesenchymal transition; Metastasis; Microenvironment; Osteoblast; Osteosarcoma; Oxidative stress; Prostate cancer; Tumor; VDR; Vitamin D; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D receptor.

Figure 1.

Recent advances in vitamin D cancer research. A) Top-level Gene Ontology of Biological Processes regulated by vitamin D-targeted transcription factors: BCL6, NFE2, POU4F2, ELF4, IRF5, MAFF, MYCL, NFXL1, TFEC, MAMLD, PPARGC1B, SRA1, ZBTB46 (source Metascape.org). B) A rapid increase in the number of published articles on vitamin D and cancer in PubMed between 1990 and 2023. C) PubMed knowledge graph was used to assess vitamin D and cancer relationships in approximately 904 of the most recently accessed PubMed articles.