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Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis of prospective studies

  • Research Article
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Tumor Biology

Abstract

There were some case–control studies, nested case–control studies, and cohort studies with controversial results on the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and breast cancer risk. Case–control studies are prone to selection bias, which limit the strength and quality of the evidence. To overcome the shortcoming of the case–control studies, the meta-analysis of prospective studies including nested case–control studies and cohort studies was conducted. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched, and the last retrieval date was March 24, 2013. For the highest versus the lowest level of serum 25(OH)D, the relative risks (RRs) and its 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) from each study were used to estimate summary RR and its 95 % CI. Subgroup analyses by geographic region, menopausal status, and adjusted status of RR were also performed, respectively. A dose–response association between serum 25(OH)D concentration and breast cancer risk was assessed. Fourteen articles with 9,110 breast cancer cases and 16,244 controls were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, serum 25(OH)D levels were inversely significantly associated with breast cancer risk (RR = 0.845, 95 % CI = 0.750–0.951). Inversely statistically significant associations were observed in North American studies, postmenopausal women, and studies with adjusted and unadjusted RR, respectively. No statistically significant associations were observed in European studies and premenopausal women, respectively. Dose–response analysis showed that every 10 ng/mL increment in serum 25(OH)D concentration was associated with a significant 3.2 % reduction in breast cancer risk. This meta-analysis provides evidence of a significantly inverse association between serum 25(OH)D concentration and breast cancer risk.

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Abbreviations

25(OH)D:

25-Hydroxyvitamin D

1,25(OH)2D:

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D

lα(OH)D3 :

1-α-Hydroxycholecalciferol

RR:

Relative risk

CI:

Confidence interval

SE:

Standard error

VDR:

Vitamin D receptor

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 30972516), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (no. C2010000481), and Hebei Province Health Bureau Foundation (no. 20090004).

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None

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 050017, China

    Dan Wang & Dian-Wu Liu

  2. Library, Hebei Medical University, No. 361 Zhongshan East Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 050017, China

    Dan Wang

  3. Department of Foreign Languages, Hebei Normal University, No. 113 Yuhua East Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 050016, China

    Omar Israel Vélez de-la-Paz

  4. School of International Education, Western Campus, Hebei Medical University, No. 326 Xinshi South Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 050091, China

    Omar Israel Vélez de-la-Paz

  5. Department of Novelty Retrieval, Institute of Hebei Medical Information, No. 299 Heping West Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 050071, China

    Jun-Xia Zhai

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  1. Dan Wang
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  2. Omar Israel Vélez de-la-Paz
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  3. Jun-Xia Zhai
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  4. Dian-Wu Liu
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Correspondence to Dian-Wu Liu.

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Wang, D., Vélez de-la-Paz, O.I., Zhai, JX. et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Tumor Biol. 34, 3509–3517 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-013-0929-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-013-0929-2

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