Colorectal cancer is one of the common types of cancer in the United States. According to the Centers Disease Control and Prevention, at least 50,000 died from it in 2011. The chances of dying are even higher when it has already metastasized. But this brand-new research may bring us some hope, with the help of more sunlight and outdoor activity.
A team of researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute revealed some findings on January 13, 2015, on how an increased level of vitamin D can prolong the life of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
To be more specific, those who had higher levels of this vitamin before treatments including chemotherapy survived longer by as much as 8 months.
For the research, the team worked with at least 1,000 metastatic colorectal cancer patients, the biggest study for this group, according to the team. These patients were also enrolled in the phase 3 of a clinical trial that included biologic therapies and chemotherapy. They then discovered that survival rate is higher for those who already registered higher vitamin D, further boosted by the biologic therapies.
Although the researchers are able to establish the link, there's still a question about its cause-effect relationship. What is in vitamin D that allows patients with high levels of it to live longer? Because of this, it's still too early for them to recommend vitamin D as a form of treatment.
However, the high levels of vitamin D may be an indication of a healthier lifestyle characterized by lower obesity risk and more time in the outdoors.
Vitamin D is a very important vitamin since it boosts the immune system and allows the absorption of calcium in the bones. The body can also produce this, but it needs some help to do so such as the UV rays from the sun.
