Vitamin D Levels and Related Genetic Polymorphisms, Sun Exposure, Skin Color, and Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer.

摘要

Data from epidemiologic reports have had mixed results on the role of vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for prostate cancer incidence and aggressiveness. The prior studies often failed to control adequately for season, skin color, sun exposure, genetic polymorphisms or the other biological and environmental mediators of vitamin D status or prostate cancer risk. The central hypothesis is that vitamin D deficiency will increase prostate cancer incidence and disease aggressiveness. We will definitively address this hypothesis by measuring all of the relevant mediators in a city with high rates of vitamin D deficiency in a case-control study of 40-79 year old African American and European American with incidence prostate cancer and age and ethnicity matched controls. We aim to 1. Evaluate the risk of aggressive prostate cancer and vitamin D levels in African American and European American men. 2. Assess single nucleotide polymorphism variation in candidate genes involved in vitamin D synthesis, metabolism and signaling and their mutual role along with vitamin D status in prostate cancer risk. At this point, we are able to report that 44% of Chicago area men are deficient in vitamin D and that skin color is the main determinant in African Americans and sun exposure is the main determinant in European Americans and supplementation can ameliorate this in both racial groups. We will have enough variance in vitamin D to evaluate our data fully for our specific aims.