Clinical impact of postoperative vitamin D deficiency on the recurrence of colon cancer after curative surgical resection

Background/Aim: There are no clinically significant cutoff values of serum vitamin D levels and time points to predict the prognosis of colon cancer, particularly in patients who underwent curative surgical resection. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed serum vitamin D levels in 795 patients with stages I to III colon cancer who underwent curative surgical resection. Results: Patients with vitamin D levels below 12 ng/ml at one year after surgical resection demonstrated a significantly reduced disease-free survival (DFS) than those who did not have vitamin D deficiency (p=0.01). In the multivariate analysis, an age of 70 years or older [hazard ratio (HR)=1.992; p=0.001], pathologic stage (HR=3.739; p<0.001), and vitamin D deficiency (less than 12 ng/ml) at one year after surgery (HR=0.563; p=0.020) were factors unfavorably influencing DFS. Conclusion: In patients with stages I to III of colon cancer, vitamin D deficiency at one year after surgical resection was associated with increased disease relapse.