Study: Vitamin D Before Radiation May Help With Breast Cancer

A Vitamin D compound given before low-dose radiation to treat breast cancer may help kill malignant cells without damaging healthy tissue, according to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

The researchers used breast cancer cell cultures to test the effect of a modified form of Vitamin D called ILX 23-7553 alone and in combination with low doses of ionizing radiation. By pre-treating cells with the Vitamin D compound before radiation, the found the number of cancer cells after irradiation was almost 30 percent lower than using radiation alone.

The study, to be published in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, also found that combining the Vitamin D compound and low-dose radiation resulted in continued death of breast cancer cells for a week after treatment and might inhibit recurrence.

"Our study shows that pre-treatment of breast tumor cells with a Vitamin D analog significantly enhanced the effectiveness of the irradiation treatment," reported David A. Gewirtz, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology.

Results of the study, if confirmed in human trials, could ultimately lead to shorter radiation treatment periods for breast cancer patients.

Other sources: Virginia Commonwealth University