TY - JOUR T1 - Newly-identified Pathways Relating Vitamin D to Carcinogenesis: A Review JF - In Vivo JO - In Vivo SP - 1345 LP - 1354 DO - 10.21873/invivo.12387 VL - 35 IS - 3 AU - NADEEM BILANI AU - LEAH ELSON AU - CHARLES SZUCHAN AU - ELIZABETH ELIMIMIAN AU - MUSTAFA SALEH AU - ZEINA NAHLEH Y1 - 2021/05/01 UR - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/35/3/1345.abstract N2 - Background: The epidemiological relationship between vitamin D levels and cancer has been thoroughly investigated. Published data from large studies appear to corroborate a significant relationship between higher serum vitamin D concentrations and improved survival. Mechanistic reviews on commonly-studied cancers – including breast cancer, colon cancer and melanoma – focus predominantly on data from older studies. In outlining avenues for future research, we believe there is utility in summarizing novel findings introduced to the literature. Materials and Methods: In this narrative review, we used MEDLINE, PUBMED and Cochrane databases to identify mechanistic studies published from January 1, 2015 onwards exploring this topic. Results: Twenty-five mechanistic studies were included in this review. It was found that vitamin D plays a critical role in both direct (i.e. tumor gene expression, proliferation, invasiveness, sensitivity to chemotherapy etc.) and indirect (i.e. effects on the tumor microenvironment and immunomodulation) tumor suppression mechanisms. Conclusion: These newly-identified pathways warrant further research, with the hopes that we may understand how and when vitamin D supplementation can be integrated into precision medicine therapeutics for cancers of the breast, colon and skin. Cancer care providers should consider recommendations to screen for vitamin D deficiency in this population. ER -