WEDNESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Higher baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels are significantly and positively associated with an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), according to a study published online Aug. 15 in the Archives of Dermatology.
Melody J. Eide, M.D., M.P.H., from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and colleagues investigated the relationship between baseline serum 25-OHD levels and the risk of NMSC among 3,223 white health maintenance organization (HMO) workers who sought advice regarding the risk of osteoporosis or low bone density between 1997 and 2001. Vitamin D levels were assessed at initial evaluations, and sufficiency or deficiency was defined as a baseline serum 25-OHD level of 30 ng/mL or more and less than 15 ng/mL, respectively. First occurrence of specified disease outcome, and complete person-years of follow-up since baseline were assessed from the HMO claims database to identify NMSC cases between 1997 and 2009.
The investigators found that 2,257 patients were vitamin D deficient, and 966 had sufficient levels. NMSC was diagnosed in 240 patients, including 49 with squamous cell carcinoma, 163 with basal cell carcinoma, and 28 with both. A significant positive association was found between vitamin D levels of more than 15 ng/mL and NMSC (unadjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.7), which persisted after adjusting for risk factors (adjusted OR, 1.8). There was a positive, nonstatistically significant association of 25-OHD levels with NMSC risk on less ultraviolet-exposed anatomical locations for both squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, with a lower risk estimate for basal cell carcinoma.
"An increased baseline serum 25-OHD level was significantly associated with an increased NMSC risk," the authors write.
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