Vitamin D and urological cancers.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Endocrinology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Vitamin D is crucial for calcium and phosphate balance.
• Vitamin D modulates cellular differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and adhesion.
• Vitamin D impacts tumor angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, and DNA damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of vitamin D in various cancers.
• To investigate the potential of vitamin D in cancer prevention and therapy.

Main Methods:

• Searched Medline and Web of Science databases up to October 2015.
• Used keywords 'vitamin D' with 'kidney cancer', 'bladder cancer', 'prostate cancer', and 'testis cancer'.
• Reviewed reference lists of relevant articles and book chapters.

Main Results:

• Epidemiological studies suggest vitamin D (VD3) may prevent several cancers.
• Sufficient vitamin D supply could be a safe and economical cancer reduction strategy.
• The precise role of vitamin D in cancer incidence and treatment remains uncertain.

Conclusions:

• Vitamin D's role is well-documented in breast, colon, and prostate cancers.
• Limited published data exists on vitamin D's impact on other malignancies.