Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41901030›Full record

ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Association Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Colorectal Carcinoma: Insights from a Case Control Study in Northern Saudi Arabia.

Anass M Abbas, Ashok Kumar Sah, Reef A Alodhayd, Shahad A Alblehed, Aryaf M Almaeen, Saja T Almadhor, Hala E Sabaa, Rania Z Alghafil, Nasir A Nour, Abdulkhakov Ikhtiyor Umarovich and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors.

Anass M AbbasDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-1566-7257
Ashok Kumar SahDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied and Health Sciences, A' Sharqiyah University, Ibra 400, Oman.ORCID 0000-0002-7762-4351
Reef A AlodhaydDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
Shahad A AlblehedDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
Aryaf M AlmaeenDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
Saja T AlmadhorDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
Hala E SabaaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
Rania Z AlghafilDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
Nasir A NourDepartment of Histopathology, Prince Mutaib Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0009-0007-6687-9408
Abdulkhakov Ikhtiyor UmarovichDepartment of Faculty and Hospital Therapy, Bukhara State Medical Institute, Bukhara 210118, Uzbekistan.
Ranjay Kumar ChoudharyDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied and Health Sciences, A' Sharqiyah University, Ibra 400, Oman.
Rabab H ElshaikhDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied and Health Sciences, A' Sharqiyah University, Ibra 400, Oman.ORCID 0000-0003-0973-8661
Manar G ShalabiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0003-4921-2162

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. In Saudi Arabia, it is the most common cancer among men and the third most common among women. The disease affects predominantly older adults, with an increasing number of cases reported in younger populations. Emerging evidence suggests a potential association between Vitamin D deficiency and CRC risk and progression.

aimThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum Vitamin D levels and colorectal cancer, and to evaluate its association with clinicopathological characteristics. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on newly diagnosed CRC patients between January 2021 and August 2024 at King Abdul-Aziz Specialist Hospital, Prince Muteb Hospital, and the Oncology Center in Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia. A total of 100 CRC cases and 50 healthy controls were included. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured and categorized as deficient (<20 ng/mL), insufficient (21-29 ng/mL), and normal (≥30 ng/mL). Histopathological features and tumor characteristics were analyzed. Statistical analyses included independent

resultsDuring the four-year period, 5399 gastrointestinal specimens were analyzed, of which 2111 (39.1%) were colorectal specimens. CRC was diagnosed in 107 cases (5.1%), and 100 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of patients was 53.07 ± 13.3 years, and 69% were older than 50 years. Males represented 58% of cases (male-to-female ratio 1.4:1). Invasive adenocarcinoma was the predominant histological subtype (81%), with the sigmoid colon being the most common tumor site (39%). Vitamin D deficiency was significantly more prevalent in CRC patients (59%) compared to controls (22%). The mean serum Vitamin D level was significantly lower in cases (18.7 ± 11.3 ng/mL) than in controls (34.9 ± 15.6 ng/mL) (

conclusionsVitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent among colorectal cancer patients and was significantly associated with advanced tumor characteristics, including higher grade and metastatic features. These findings suggest a strong inverse relationship between serum Vitamin D levels and CRC development and progression. Further large-scale prospective and interventional studies are warranted to clarify the causal role of Vitamin D and its potential therapeutic implications in colorectal cancer prevention and management.

Indexed as

adenocarcinomaAl Joufcase–control studyclinicopathological featurescolorectal cancerSaudi ArabiaVitamin D deficiency

Identifiers

PMID41901030
PMCPMC13028063

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.