Premium
Vitamin D intake and survival and recurrence in head and neck cancer patients
Author(s) -
Yokosawa Eva B.,
Arthur Anna E.,
Rentschler Katie M.,
Wolf Gregory T.,
Rozek Laura S.,
Mondul Alison M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.27256
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , proportional hazards model , head and neck cancer , confidence interval , prospective cohort study , vitamin d and neurology , cohort study , cancer , vitamin , epidemiology , oncology , confounding
Objectives/Hypothesis With an unacceptably low 5‐year survival rate and few identified modifiable factors that affect head and neck cancer (HNC) outcomes, HNC survival remains an important public health problem. Vitamin D has been shown to be associated with immune reactivity and improved outcomes for some cancer sites, but findings are mixed, and few studies have examined vitamin D in relation to HNC. This study aimed to assess the association between vitamin D intake and survival outcomes in HNC patients. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods This study utilized data on 434 HNC patients with valid pretreatment food frequency questionnaire data who participated in the University of Michigan Head and Neck Specialized Program of Research Excellence epidemiology project. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the associations between total, dietary, and supplemental vitamin D intake and HNC outcomes, while adjusting for other known prognostic factors. Results After multivariable adjustment, we found a statistically significant inverse trend between total vitamin D intake and recurrence (Q4 vs. Q1 hazard ratio: 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.20‐1.10, P trend = .048). We observed no association with dietary or supplemental intake separately, and no association was observed with all‐cause or HNC‐specific mortality. Conclusions These findings suggest that HNC patients with lower levels of vitamin D intake are at higher risk of recurrence. If borne out in future studies, our results suggest that increased vitamin D intake through dietary intervention or the use of supplements may be a feasible intervention for prevention of recurrence in HNC patients. Level of Evidence 2b. Laryngoscope , E371–E376, 2018