Study: Vitamin D May Aid Radiation in Treating Breast Cancer

Giving breast cancer patients a form of vitamin D appears to greatly enhance the ability of radiation to wipe out any remaining cancer cells following surgery, according to Dartmouth Medical School researchers.

While radiation therapy is a common course of treatment after breast cancer surgery, cells that are resistant to radiation may still cause a recurrence of cancer in the patient's future.

But tests on mice have now shown combining a form of vitamin D with radiotherapy means many of these remaining cancer cells can be destroyed, the researchers reported in the Journal of Clinical Cancer Research.

In their study, researchers from Dartmouth Medical School compared tumour growth in mice given the combined therapy, using a derivative of vitamin D called EB 1089, and others given radiation therapy alone.

While vitamin D has been shown to help prevent and treat several forms of cancer, too much vitamin D leads to too much calcium being produced, which can affect bone metabolism and structure. EB 1089 is modified to have fewer calcium-related side-effects.

In the mice given the combined treatment, tumors were around 50 percent smaller than in those that received radiation alone.

"The results of our latest study with EB 1089 are very encouraging," said lead researcher Dr. Sujatha Sundaram. "The vitamin D analog has proven effective in enhancing radiation treatments in our prior studies with cell cultures and now in live mice. We are eager to push ahead to clinical trials with breast cancer treatments in humans."

Other Sources: Dartmouth Medical School