SynthesisCancer medicine2021
Vitamin D supplementation for children with cancer: A systematic review and consensus recommendations.
Synthesis in Cancer medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vitamin D and Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of Omega-3 and Vitamin D Supplementation on Bone Turnover Markers in Children with Leukemia: Follow-Up During and After Supplementation.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Establish Global Nutrition Research Strategies: The Meeting Report of the First SIOP Nutrition Research Forum.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Post-treatment late and long-term effects in bone sarcoma: A scoping review.Journal of bone oncology · 2025Review
- The evolution of nutritional care in children and young people with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a narrative review.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Review
- Chemotherapy-induced osteoporosis in pediatric oncology: pathophysiology and treatment.Pediatric endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism · 2025Review
- Are Pediatric Cancer Patients a Risk Group for Vitamin D Deficiency? A Systematic Review.Cancers · 2024Review
- Bone health in childhood cancer survivors, is there really a problem? Pitfalls of assessment, calculating risk, and suggested surveillance and management for osteonecrosis and low and very low bone mineral density.Endocrine connections · 2024Review
- Demographic and disease-related factors impact bone turnover and vitamin D in children with hemato-oncological diseases.JBMR plus · 2024Article
- Vitamin D Deficiency in Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Single-Center Experience in Saudi Arabia.Cureus · 2024Article
- An evidence gap map of interventions for noncommunicable diseases and risk factors among children and adolescents.Nature medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Recommendations for Nutritional Supplementation in Pediatric Oncology: A Compilation of the Facts.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Vitamin D Deficiency and Carotid Media-Intima Thickness in Childhood Cancer Survivors.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Prevalence of low bone mineral density and risk of fractures in osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma survivors: A scoping review.Journal of bone oncology · 2023Article
- Bone Health Issues in the Pediatric Oncology Patient.Seminars in oncology nursing · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPrevalent vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and low bone mineral density (BMD) have led to vitamin D supplementation for children with cancer, regardless vitamin D status. However, it remains unsettled whether this enhances bone strength. We sought to address this issue by carrying out a systematic review of the literature.
methodsWe conducted a literature search using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Studies including children up to 5 years after cancer therapy were assessed for the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels and BMD Z-scores or fractures, and the effect of vitamin D supplementation on BMD or fractures. Evidence quality was assessed using the GRADE methodology.
resultsNineteen studies (16 observational and 3 interventional, mainly involving children with hematologic malignancies) were included. One study which analyzed 25OHD as a threshold variable (≤10 ng/ml) found a significant association between 25OHD levels and BMD Z-scores, while 25OHD as a continuous variable was not significantly associated with BMD Z-scores in 14 observational studies. We found neither a significant association between lower 25OHD levels and fractures (2 studies), nor between vitamin D (and calcium) supplementation and BMD or fracture frequency (3 studies) (very low quality evidence).
conclusionThere is a lack of evidence for an effect of vitamin D (and calcium) supplementation on BMD or fractures in children with cancer. Further research is needed; until then, we recommend dietary vitamin D/calcium intake in keeping with standard national guidelines, and periodic 25OHD monitoring to detect levels <20 ng/ml. Vitamin D/calcium supplementation is recommended in children with low levels, to maintain levels ≥20 ng/ml year-long.
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Registered trials
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.