Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

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radnyc
Posts: 446
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 6:32 pm

Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby radnyc » Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:00 pm

All the latest studies point to pretty good proof that Vit D is important and helps keep the beast at bay:

https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/vi ... al-cancer/

"A group of 139 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were prescribed standard chemotherapy and vitamin D supplements. One group received a high dose of vitamin D (8,000 international units [IU] daily for 14 days followed by 4,000 IU/day thereafter), and the other group was given low doses (400 IU, found in most multivitamins).

Dr. Fuchs and colleagues found that the 69 patients who received the high dosage of vitamin D experienced a 36 percent improvement in the rate of cancer progression or death when compared to the 70 patients who received low-dose supplements. Specifically, the length of time before the disease worsened was longer (a median time of 13 months) compared to those who were supplemented with lower doses, whose disease worsened after about 11 months.

“Our trial suggests that addition of high-dose vitamin D to chemotherapy for colorectal cancer can improve the effectiveness of our standard therapies,” says Dr. Fuchs. “Ultimately, this represents a relatively inexpensive intervention that could make a meaningful difference in the lives of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer.”

Vitamin D3, NOT D2
High Dose: 4000 to 8000 IU, NOT the useless 400-800 IU recommended by the US Institute of Medicine

Peace

Al
DX Jan 2010, at age 47
Feb - colon resection - 2/17 nodes positive
April - liver mets - Stage 4
3 months Folfox chemotherapy
August '10 liver resection and HAI pump
7 months chemo FUDR HAI and Folfiri systemic
NED since August 2010
Last treatment April 2011
HAI Pump removed Dec 2015

jmn
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:20 pm
Location: New York/Philadelphia

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby jmn » Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:57 pm

Thanks, Al! My doctor has me taking 5,000 IU daily.
DX: CC, 7-9-18 @ age 61, male
Severe anemia (4.5 g/dl), 5-11-18; colonoscopy, 6-29-18
Lap-assisted right hemicolectomy, 7-16-18
G2, cecal adenocarcinoma, 4.2 x 3.7 x 0.7 cm
Stage IIB, pT4aN0 (first pathology DX: pT3N0)
0/24 lymph nodes, LVI present, PNI present, surgical margins clear, MSS
CEA: 3.0 (pre-op, 7-10-18); 0.7 (post-op, 8-8-18)
TX: Xeloda (capecitabine), 10-16-18 to 4-21-19
5 years of clear scans and colonoscopies :D
Released from MSK surveillance, 7-20-23 - NED :D

User avatar
juliej
Posts: 3114
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 12:59 pm

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby juliej » Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:08 pm

Thanks, Al, for the helpful info!

My Vit D levels indicated a severe deficiency when they first tested me. It took a full year at a fairly high dose for me to get up to the "insufficiency" level (below 20 ng/mL=deficiency and between 21–29 ng/mL=insufficiency).

Then after another year of high dose supplements, I managed to barely squeak into the "sufficient" (normal) range.

I'd like to hear what oncologists have told others they should aim for as regards an optimal level of Vit D for CRC patients. One of my oncs says he'd be happy if I got my level in the 40's. But my other onc would like to see it higher than that. I'm at 29.5 now, but I have a hard time holding it there and not slipping back down.

So, what level of Vit D has your onc recommended for you??? Please weigh in... Survey time!!!! :D

Thanks,
Juliej
Stage IVb, liver/lung mets 8/4/2010
Xelox+Avastin 8/18/10 to 10/21/2011
LAR, liver resec, HAI pump 11/2011
Adjuvant Irinotecan + FUDR
Double lung surgery + ileo reversal 2/2012
Adjuvant FUDR + Xeloda
VATS rt. lung 12/2012 - benign granuloma!
VATS left lung 11/2013
NED 11/22/13 to 12/18/2019, CEA<1

Jolene
Posts: 180
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:17 am

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby Jolene » Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:05 pm

One of the first few tests that the onc ordered before starting out on my CRT was the Vit D level. According to his experience colorectal cancer patients for some reasons often have deficiency of Vit D.

I was measuring at 10 ng/ml when first tested and this was in the rather severe deficiency range. I was pretty shocked by the results as I live in a country where sunshine is aplenty everyday.

I was immediately put on 2000 IU of Vitamin D3 per day.

Fast forward 4 months later where I had to undergo another blood test before I started my adjuvant chemo, another Vit D test was ordered by the onc and it had gone up close to 40 ng/ml where he was happy and what we were aiming for. I'm continuing to take Vit D3 at 2000 IU per day.

Onc mentioned it will have to be a lifetime intake given that menopausal has also set in for me which presents other problems such as osteoporosis and vitamin D is really essential in the building of bone mass. If anything it more important than calcium.

I'm pleased to see some official research from Yale !
Dx @ 39 F on WW managmeent
Nov 18 - Dx of a mid-rectal tumour at T3N1M0 (2cm) 7cm from AV
Dec 18 - CRT, 28 sessions + Capecitabine at 3000mg daily
Jan - Mar - WW in place (12 weeks)
Mar'19 - MRI, PET, sig flex and biopsy ordered to determine being a WW candidate.
Apr - CCR, surgery on hold. 6 cycles of Xelox.
Aug - 6 cycles of Xelox completed
19 - Flex sig, biopsy, PET/MRI
2019 - 2023 - Every 6 mths - Full scope / Flex sig / biopsy, PET / MRI / CT every 6 months
Dec 23 - All clear 5 years on ! Thank god !

AmyG
Posts: 371
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2018 8:08 pm

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby AmyG » Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:43 pm

I had no idea. Can I get that dosage level over the counter? I guess I could probably just Google that. :lol:
42 dx @ 9wks pregnant w/baby #8 8/18
Sigmoid colon resection 9/18
Adenocarcinoma, G2, T3N0M0..or so we thought
KRAS/BRAF wild
Liver biopsy is malignant, stage iv now boys!
Delivered healthy baby 3/19
FOLFOX + Avastin 5/19
CEA 167 to 24 after 4 rounds
Liver resection 8/28/19
NED!! CEA 2.3
CEA 5.8 idk wtf is up with that, but everything else is clear!
CEA 3.7 make up your damn mind...
CEA 1.5 that's a new low!

Rock_Robster
Posts: 1027
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:27 am
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby Rock_Robster » Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:05 pm

AmyG wrote:I had no idea. Can I get that dosage level over the counter? I guess I could probably just Google that. :lol:

I’m not sure about the States, but here you can buy 1000 IU capsules OTC. I take 2 in the morning and 3 at night. I was slightly deficient at diagnosis and I was already taking 2000-3000/day (as I lived in a dark country), haven’t retested lately.
41M Australia
2018 Dx RC
G2 EMVI LVI, 4 liver mets
pT3N1aM1a Stage IVa MSS NRAS G13R
CEA 14>2>32>16>19>30>140>70
11/18 FOLFOX
3/19 Liver resection
5/19 Pelvic IMRT
7/19 ULAR
8/19 Liver met
8/19 FOLFOX, FOLFOXIRI, FOLFIRI
12/19 Liver resection
NED 2 years
11/21 Liver met, PALN, lung nodules
3/22 PVE, lymphadenectomy, liver SBRT
10/22 PALN SBRT
11/22 Liver mets, peri nodule. Xeloda+Bev
4/23 XELIRI+Bev
9/23 ATRIUM trial
12/23 Modified FOLFIRI+Bev
3/24 VAXINIA (CF33 + hNIS) trial

AmyG
Posts: 371
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2018 8:08 pm

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby AmyG » Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:07 pm

Thanks, my Google fu tells me I can get it otc here. Idk that mine has been tested unless that's part of my CBC that I didn't recognize.
42 dx @ 9wks pregnant w/baby #8 8/18
Sigmoid colon resection 9/18
Adenocarcinoma, G2, T3N0M0..or so we thought
KRAS/BRAF wild
Liver biopsy is malignant, stage iv now boys!
Delivered healthy baby 3/19
FOLFOX + Avastin 5/19
CEA 167 to 24 after 4 rounds
Liver resection 8/28/19
NED!! CEA 2.3
CEA 5.8 idk wtf is up with that, but everything else is clear!
CEA 3.7 make up your damn mind...
CEA 1.5 that's a new low!

jmn
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:20 pm
Location: New York/Philadelphia

Re: Reminder: Don't forget your Vitamin D!

Postby jmn » Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:39 pm

While 42 percent of the US population is vitamin D deficient, this rate rises to 82 percent for Blacks and 70 percent for Hispanics because high amounts of melanin in the skin reduce the body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. As a dark-skinned African American, taking one 5,000 IU softgel every day keeps my vitamin D level around 50 ng/mL, which is right where my doctors want it to be.
DX: CC, 7-9-18 @ age 61, male
Severe anemia (4.5 g/dl), 5-11-18; colonoscopy, 6-29-18
Lap-assisted right hemicolectomy, 7-16-18
G2, cecal adenocarcinoma, 4.2 x 3.7 x 0.7 cm
Stage IIB, pT4aN0 (first pathology DX: pT3N0)
0/24 lymph nodes, LVI present, PNI present, surgical margins clear, MSS
CEA: 3.0 (pre-op, 7-10-18); 0.7 (post-op, 8-8-18)
TX: Xeloda (capecitabine), 10-16-18 to 4-21-19
5 years of clear scans and colonoscopies :D
Released from MSK surveillance, 7-20-23 - NED :D


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