Vitamin D has been associated with reduced risk of many
cancers, but evidence for
esophageal cancer is mixed. To clarify the role of
vitamin D, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association of
vitamin D exposures and esophageal
neoplasia, including
adenocarcinoma,
squamous cell carcinoma (SCC),
Barrett's esophagus, and squamous dysplasia. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched from inception to September 2015. Fifteen publications in relation to circulating
25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(
OH)D; n = 3],
vitamin D intake (n = 4), UVB exposure (n = 1), and genetic factors (n = 7) were retrieved. Higher [25(
OH)D] was associated with increased risk of
cancer [
adenocarcinoma or SCC, OR = 1.39; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-1.74], with the majority of participants coming from China. No association was observed between
vitamin D intake and risk of
cancer overall (OR, 1.03; 0.65-1.42); however, a nonsignificantly increased risk for
adenocarcinoma (OR, 1.45; 0.65-2.24) and nonsignificantly decreased risk for SCC (OR, 0.80; 0.48-1.12) were observed. One study reported a decreased risk of
adenocarcinoma with higher UVB exposure. A decreased risk was found for VDR haplotype rs2238135(G)/rs1989969(T) carriers (OR, 0.45; 0.00-0.91), and a suggestive association was observed for rs2107301. In conclusion, no consistent associations were observed between
vitamin D exposures and occurrence of esophageal lesions. Further adequately powered, well-designed studies are needed before conclusions can be made.
Cancer Epidemiol
Biomarkers Prev; 25(6); 877-86. ©2016 AACR.