Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32495112›Full record

SynthesisCurrent oncology reports2020

Vitamin D and Cancer Survival: Does Vitamin D Supplementation Improve the Survival of Patients with Cancer?

Taisuke Akutsu, Hikaru Kitamura, Shoko Himeiwa, Shinto Kitada, Tatsuya Akasu, Mitsuyoshi Urashima

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Current oncology reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

23 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Trial
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  8. Understanding the role of vitamin D in osteosarcoma: A narrative review.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2025
    Review
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  10. Article
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  16. Vitamin D: an essential adjuvant therapeutic agent in breast cancer.The Journal of international medical research · 2022
    Review
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  19. Article
  20. Article
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

6 authors.

Taisuke AkutsuDivision of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
Hikaru KitamuraDivision of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
Shoko HimeiwaDivision of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
Shinto KitadaDivision of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
Tatsuya AkasuDivision of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
Mitsuyoshi UrashimaDivision of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan. urashima@jikei.ac.jp.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purpose of reviewClinical evidence suggesting the beneficial effects of vitamin D on survival of patients with cancer has been accumulating. Recent articles were thoroughly reviewed to determine if there is enough evidence to conclude that vitamin D supplementation improves survival of patients with cancer. RECENT

findingsMeta-analyses of observational studies showed that higher blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients with cancer at a variety of sites were associated with lower cancer-specific and overall mortalities. Moreover, meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) also suggested that vitamin D supplementation improved the survival of patients with cancer. However, each RCT used in these meta-analyses, as well as very recent RCTs, e.g., the SUNSHINE and the AMATERASU trial, did not show statistical significance in the primary results. For now, compelling evidence that vitamin D supplementation effectively improves survival of patients with cancer is lacking. Thus, confirmatory RCTs are still obligatory for the future.

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsHumansNeoplasmsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicVitamin D25-hydroxyvitamin DVitamin D25-hydroxyvitamin DMeta-analysisMortalityPrognosisRelapse-free survivalVitamin D3

Identifiers

PMID32495112

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.