Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30755270›Full record

ArticleSystematic reviews2019

Does testosterone mediate the relationship between vitamin D and prostate cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Luke A Robles, Karen Dawe, Richard M Martin, Julian P T Higgins, Sarah J Lewis

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Systematic reviews, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Serum vitamin D and PSA in elderly men in Amirkola.Caspian journal of internal medicine · 2024
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Luke A RoblesBristol Medicine School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England.ORCID 0000-0003-2882-9868
Karen DaweBristol Medicine School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England.
Richard M MartinBristol Medicine School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England.
Julian P T HigginsBristol Medicine School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England.
Sarah J LewisBristol Medicine School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England. S.J.Lewis@bristol.ac.uk.
University of Bristol · GBAt Bristol · GBNational Institute for Health Research · GB

Funding

Cancer Research UK 19169Cancer Research UK C18281/A19169
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvidence from studies on prostate cancer progression have identified vitamin D to be a potentially important nutrient. However, the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research have reported the quality of this evidence to be limited and warrant further investigation. We plan to use the recently developed WCRF International/University of Bristol mechanistic systematic review framework to determine whether the observed association between vitamin D and prostate cancer exists through a plausible biological pathway.

methodsThis protocol sets out how we will perform a systematic review of the literature in human and animal studies. We will search the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and BIOSIS Citation Index without restrictions on year of publication or language. We will extract data from observational and experimental studies examining two inter-linked pathways in the relationship between vitamin D and prostate cancer progression: (1) vitamin D and testosterone, and (2) testosterone and prostate cancer progression. We focus on testosterone as its actions form a potentially novel intermediate mechanism that was identified via our online literature mining tools. The outcomes of interest include incidence or prevalence of prostate cancer, measures of prostate cancer progression (including biochemical recurrence, local, or distal metastases), and prostate cancer-specific mortality. We will assess study quality and the level of certainty of the evidence. We will analyse data where possible, using meta-analysis with forest plots or albatross plots; otherwise, a narrative synthesis will be performed. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this will be the first systematic synthesis of the evidence underpinning the vitamin D-testosterone-prostate cancer mechanistic pathway. The results of the review may inform future research, intervention trials, and public health messages.

Indexed as

Meta-Analysis as TopicSystematic Reviews as TopicAnimalsDisease ProgressionDrug InteractionsHumansMaleObservational Studies as TopicProstatic NeoplasmsTestosteroneVitamin DTestosteroneVitamin DMechanistic pathwayProstate cancerSystematic reviewTestosteroneVitamin D

Identifiers

PMID30755270
PMCPMC6371501
OpenAlexW2923488820

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.