Vitamin D was linked to faster clearance of selected thin skin tumors
Among patients with multiple basal cell carcinomas, vitamin D before light-based treatment showed a clearance-speed signal in selected thin tumors. The abstract leaves the size of its advantage over placebo unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The trial tested whether vitamin D before photodynamic therapy could speed basal cell carcinoma clearance compared with placebo. The reported response pattern favored thin tumors over thick tumors, but the clearance-speed analysis involved a selected set of tumors that remained visible throughout follow-up. The abstract does not quantify an overall vitamin D versus placebo advantage.
The abstract does not provide a numerical between-treatment difference in clearance speed, confidence intervals, elapsed follow-up or adverse-event results. Its statement that the combination was safe cannot be assessed from the safety data presented here.
How tumor response was assessed
Researchers used photographic measurements to track tumor height and volume at visits. They examined clearance speed in tumors visible at every study visit, then used tumor height to separate groups considered likely or unlikely to respond.
Why the selected tumors matter
The abstract reports more vitamin D responsiveness among thin tumors, including some with aggressive microscopic features. That result concerns selected lesions during a particular treatment course; it does not establish the same response for all basal cell carcinomas.
The original publication
High-dose oral vitamin D in combination with photodynamic therapy can accelerate the clearance rate of basal cell carcinoma: A randomized clinical trial.
Maytin EV, Zeitouni NC, Updyke A et al.
Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40633744
- Record checked
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