Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found a significant difference in the progression of cancer and patient death in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who had adequate levels of vitamin D in their blood compared to those who did not.
It appears that adequate levels of vitamin D in the blood help to slow the progression of CLL. This is very important because CLL is typically a slow moving disease. Often, when the early stages of CLL are first detected, the physician does not immediately begin chemotherapy because chemotherapy medications are so damaging. These early patients are usually simply monitored for progression of the disease, waiting for it to reach a level at which time chemotherapy benefits out-weight the known damages of the drug.
The fact that Vitamin D has shown a potential in slowing the progression of this cancer provides these patients with an early treatment option that was unavailable to them in the past.
According to Dr. Shanafelt, hematologist at Mayo Clinic, Vitamin D insufficiency, in general, is widespread. "Between one-fourth and one-half of patients seen in routine clinical practice have vitamin D levels below the optimal range, and it is estimated that up to 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D insufficiency," he says.
There is a growing body of evidence that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for development and/or progression of several known cancers. Some studies have suggested that low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of colorectal, breast, and lung cancers. In other studies, low vitamin D levels may be associated with poorer clinical outcomes in colorectal, breast, melanoma and lung cancers, and lymphoma.
If you know of a patient that has been diagnosed with CLL, you should get a copy of the Mayo study to them and their doctors.
Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com
www.biggschiropractic.blogspot.com
Source: Medical News Today
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