Skip to main content

Table 1 Carcinogenic mechanism associated with vitamin D in skin cancer and other tumors

From: Vitamin D axis and its role in skin carcinogenesis: a comprehensive review

Mechanism

References

General carcinogenesis:

 Anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic, pro-apoptotic, cell-differentiating and anti-invasive effects in tumor cells

[2931]

 Higher levels of VD are correlated with decreased risk of breast, colon, renal, hepatic and tobacco-related cancers.

[3, 3337]

 Associated to a decrease in the risk of specific cancer overall survival in breast, colon, hepatic, and bladder carcinomas

[3]

 Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of cancer in postmenopausal women

[40]

Skin cancer:

 Reduction in melanoma cells proliferation in vitro.

[52]

 Induces melanoma cells differentiation, inhibits angiogenesis and invasion

[29]

 Activates DNA repair enzymes after UV irradiation of melanocytes

[45, 54]

 Inhibits sonic hedgehog pathway in basal cell carcinoma

[46]

 Inhibits squamous cell carcinoma cells

[49]

 Role in the expression of E-cadherin and B-catenin in basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and in melanoma.

[29, 43, 44]

 Arrests tumor cell cycle in G1/S, inhibiting cyclin D1 and upregulating p27 and p21.

[53]