In a recent write-up for OncLive, Dr. Kimmie Ng, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical Center’s Dana-Farber Cancer institute, examined the findings of several such studies from the last two decades. Several of them were conducted by Ng herself.

The article is heavy on statistical analysis, but the chart provided by Ng shows what is perhaps its most important takeaway: in a recent study, she found patients with the highest levels of vitamin D had by far the highest survival rate.

In another study, Ng tested 515 stage IV colorectal cancer patients and found only 10% of them had vitamin D levels that met the threshold believed to be required to benefit it, further establishing a link between vitamin D deficiency and colorectal cancer.

Ng’s next step is conducting another study she hopes will help explain the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind vitamin D’s cancer-fighting ability.

If you want to add more vitamin D (which is also essential for bone health) to your diet, eating more fish, cereal, eggs, mushrooms, kale and spinach should do the trick.

OTHER COLORECTAL CANCER NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB

• Results from another study, which aimed to “interpret genetic data related to hereditary colon cancer,” will allow doctors to more effectively judge a patient’s risk for colorectal cancer and other diseases. (via Medical Xpress)
  
  
• The folks at Health Canal remind us colonoscopies are the safest and most reliable screening test for colorectal cancer.
  
  
• Our friends at the Colon Cancer Alliance have a new CEO!

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