Vitamin D Levels Linked to Improved Melanoma Immunotherapy Outcomes

Sufficient vitamin D levels helped skin cancer patients enhance the results of their immunotherapy treatment and, in some cases, even extend their life span, according to a study published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal from the American Cancer Society.

Researchers analyzed vitamin D status of 200 advanced melanoma patients receiving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy (a type of drug that supports the body's immune system in slowing, stopping, and killing cancer cells) as their first-line treatment. Participants' serum vitamin D levels were measured before receiving immunotherapy and every 12 weeks during treatment.

Response rate (the percentage of patients that saw their cancer shrink or disappear during treatment) was 36% in the group with low vitamin D levels throughout the study, compared to 56% in the group that had healthy vitamin D status at baseline or achieved healthy levels during treatment.

Progression-free survival (the length of time after treatment initiation that a patient's cancer did not progress) was 5.75 months for the group with low vitamin D status, compared to 11.25 months for the group that achieved healthy vitamin D levels before or during treatment.

Overall survival was 27 months for the group with low vitamin D levels, compared to 31.5 months for the group that reached healthy vitamin D levels before or during treatment.

Researchers concluded that healthy vitamin D levels should be maintained in advanced melanoma patients that are undergoing anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in order to optimize treatment outcomes. Since food sources and sunlight aren't sufficient sources of vitamin D for the majority of people, the most efficient and effective way to achieve and sustain healthy vitamin D status is with daily vitamin D supplementation.