Vitamin D3 appears to reduce incidence of thrombosis in cancer patients, according to research conducted by researchers from the United States and Canada, presented June 3 at the Alberta Cancer Board's Cross Cancer Institute at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Atlanta. Thrombosis is a serious complication in advanced cancers and affects between 15 and 20 percent of all cancer patients.
In a randomized trial involving 250 patients with advanced prostate cancer in 48 clinical sites, those receiving vitamin D as high-dose calcitriol (DN-101 by Novacea Inc.) along with Docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug, experienced a significant reduction in both venous and arterial thromboses compared to patients receiving a placebo and Docetaxel. In vitro studies of vitamin D also showed promise for improved safety in a wide-range of cancers. The effect on thrombosis that unexpectedly emerged from the study will be tested and confirmed in a recently activated phase III clinical trial.
The combination of the vitamin and Docetaxel also was found to reduce side-effects associated with chemotherapy.
For more information on cancer research, visit the Alberta Cancer Board at http://www.cancerboard.ab.ca/.
