Vitamin D3 and Beta-carotene Deficiency is Associated with Risk of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma - Results of a Case-control Study in China

• Published in: Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 819 - 823
• Main Authors: Huang, Gui-Ling, Yang, Lei, Su, Ming, Wang, Shao-Kang, Yin, Hong, Wang, Jia-Sheng, Sun, Gui-Ju
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Vitamin D3; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; case-control study; beta-carotene
• ISSN: 1513-7368; 2476-762X

Objective: The aim was to evaluate roles of vitamin D3 (VD3) and beta-carotene (BC) in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a high-risk area, Huai'an District, Huai'an City, China. Methods: 100 new ESCC diagnosed cases from 2007 to 2008 and 200 residency- age-, and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Data were collected from questionnaires, including a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to calculate the BC intake, and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to measure the serum concentrations of BC and VD3. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated in conditional logistic regression models. Results: The average dietary intake of BC was $3322.9{\mu}g$ (2032.4-5734.3) in the case group and $3626.8{\mu}g$ (1961.9-5827.9) in control group per capita per day with no significant difference by Wilcoxon test (p>0.05). However, the levels of VD3 and BC in the case group were significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). The OR values of the highest quartile and the lowest quartile of VD3 and BC in serum samples were both 0.13. Conclusion: Our results add to the evidence that high circulating levels of VD3 and BC are associated with a reduced risk of ESCC in this Chinese population.