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Positive association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and prostate cancer risk: new findings from an updated meta-analysis

  • Original Article – Cancer Research
  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate and clarify the relationship between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and prostate cancer risk.

Methods

We conducted the meta-analysis to better evaluate the association. Terms “25-Hydroxyvitamin D”/“vitamin D” and “prostate cancer” were used for literature search.

Results

We identified 21 relevant publications from databases of PubMed and MEDLINE and included 11,941 cases and 13,870 controls in the meta-analysis. Overall studies revealed a significant 17 % elevated risk of prostate cancer for individuals with higher level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (OR = 1.17, 95 % CI = 1.05–1.30, P  = 0.004), and no publication bias was found in the calculations (P  = 0.629). Subgroup analysis confirmed the association from nested case–control study group, studies from USA group and studies using serum samples group (nested case–control studies: OR = 1.17, 95 % CI = 1.08–1.27, P < 0.001; USA: OR = 1.15, 95 % CI = 1.03–1.29, P = 0.017; serum: OR = 1.20, 95 % CI = 1.01–1.42, P = 0.042); moreover, sensitivity tests also indicated significant results in studies from Europe and studies conducting with plasma samples after exclusion of some influential single study from the analysis, respectively (Europe: OR = 1.21, 95 % CI = 1.04–1.40, P = 0.014; plasma: OR = 1.13, 95 % CI = 1.00–1.27, P = 0.05).

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis, for the first time, suggested significant positive relationship between high level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and increased risk of prostate cancer, reminding us that more concern should be taken into account during assessing the effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

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Abbreviations

RR:

Relative risk

OR:

Odds ratio

95 % CI:

95 % Confidential interval

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Correspondence to Zhaofen Lin.

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Yonghua Xu and Xiaoping Shao have contributed equally to this study.

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Xu, Y., Shao, X., Yao, Y. et al. Positive association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and prostate cancer risk: new findings from an updated meta-analysis. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 140, 1465–1477 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-014-1706-3

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