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OHSU researchers: high doses of vitamin D may reduce blood clots in cancer patients
Posted by The Oregonian newsroom September 25, 2006 09:40
Cancer patients taking high doses of vitamin D experience a reduction in blood clots, according to new research by the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute.

Thrombosis, or blood clots, is a serious complication in advanced cancers and affects from 15 percent to 20 percent of all cancer patients.

"Blood clots, including life-threatening events such as stroke, heart attacks and blood clots in the lungs are serious complications of advanced cancer and cancer chemotherapy," said Dr. Tomasz M. Beer, director of the prostate cancer program in the OHSU Cancer Institute and principal investigator of the study, which involved researchers from the United States and Canada.

"Reducing such blood clots would make a big difference for cancer patients," he said.

In a randomized trial involving 250 patients with advanced prostate cancer in 48 clinical sites, those receiving high-dose calcitriol along with Docetaxel experienced a significant reduction in thrombosis compared with patients receiving a placebo and Docetaxel.

Calcitriol is a naturally occurring hormone and the biologically active form of vitamin D.
While the clinical trial involved patients with advanced stages of prostate cancer, studies suggest that vitamin D could help reduce blood clots in a wide range of cancers.

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