Does Vitamin D Replacement Alter the Chemotherapy Outcome in Lung Cancer

Abstract

Objectives: Lung cancer accounts for 20% of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Several studies have shown that Vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis are prognostic in lung cancer. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between pre-diagnosis Vitamin D replacement levels and platinum-based chemotherapy results. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively analyzed archive records of all 247 patients diagnosed with lung cancer from an oncology center in Turkey, between 2012-2018. The chemotherapy outcomes, Vitamin D levels and replacement doses of these patients up to 6 months ago were recorded. Results: Vitamin D levels of 153 patients were below 15 ng/mL, 65 patients had a level of 15-30 ng/mL, and 29 patients had a vitamin D level higher than 30 ng/mL. In the study population, 215 had a replacement below 300.000 IU whereas 32 had a replacement above 300.000 IU. When the patients were evaluated based on their chemotherapy responses, no difference was observed between the patients with below and above 300.000 IU. In our study, Vitamin D and replacement level at the time of diagnosis did not change the chemotherapy response. Conclusion: Vitamin D replacement levels were not significantly associated with chemotherapy outcomes in our study.