Synthetic Vitamin D May Be Useful in Fight Against Colon Cancer

A synthetic version of vitamin D has demonstrated significant anti-tumor properties in mice with colon cancer without the serious toxic effects that limit the use of natural vitamin D as an anti-cancer agent, according to researchers at UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition.

Synthetic vitamin D (Ro 26-9114) was given to genetically altered mice with a mutation similar to a hereditary form of colon cancer in humans known as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), according to the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"The activated form of vitamin D has anticancer effects against many common cancers, but it produces abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood, which can lead to toxic effects such as fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite," said Dr. Sergio Huerta, a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA. "Our study found that Ro 26-9114 displayed the beneficial anti-tumor properties of vitamin D but with only modest loss of appetite and weight."

Researchers will continue the study by examining Ro 26-9114's mechanisms of action with varying dietary calcium levels, because calcium is so closely linked with vitamin D.

"We hope that these studies will lead to preventive treatments for patients at risk for colon cancer and improve our understanding of how to optimize diets to lower cancer risk for the general population," said Huerta.

Other sources: American Association for Cancer Research