Home page News Related Researches 2020-2029

Vitamin D supplementation is associated with reduced risk of hepatobiliary malignancy in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis

Published on Wednesday, 09 September 2026

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in cancer risk across several organ systems, but its role in hepatobiliary malignancy (HBM) remains unclear. We evaluated whether vitamin D supplementation (VDS) was associated with a lower risk of HBM specifically in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

Methods: Patients enrolled in the PSC registry at our quaternary care and liver transplant (LT) center from 2010 to 2020 were analyzed. The primary exposure was VDS, modeled as a time-dependent variable. The primary outcome was HBM. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance baseline characteristics, and Cox proportional hazards models were employed to estimate marginal hazard ratios (HRs). Cumulative incidence functionsfor HBM were estimated using a competing risks analysis treating death, and LT was as competing events.

Results: A total of 160 patients (mean age 42 years; 66% male) were included, of whom 76 (47.5%) reported baseline VDS. Over a median follow-up of 7 years, 15 patients developed HBM, corresponding to an incidence rate of 12.3 per 1000 person-years. VDS was associated with a significantly lower risk of HBM in both conventional (HR 0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.57) and IPTW (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.41) analyses. This association was consistent across baseline vitamin D strata, including <30 ng/mL (HR 0.12, 95% CI 0.02-0.79) and ≥30 ng/mL (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.05-0.65). Accounting for competing risks, the 5-year cumulative incidence of HBM was 1.1% among patients receiving VDS versus 11.5% without VDS (p<0.01).

Discussion: VDS was associated with a significantly lower risk of HBM in this longitudinally followed cohort of patients with PSC. These findings support the consideration of VDS in all patients with PSC and underscore the need for mechanistic and interventional studies to further evaluate this association.

Download the complete article

About this publication.

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Dihydrotachysterol, Alfacalcidol, synthetic Vitamin D3 - Preferably the blood concentration value should be around the middle between 75ng/ml and 100ng/ml);

- Vitamin D (analogues and/or derivatives) and cancer - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Calcium, 2 grams per day, orally);

The Di Bella's Method: Use of Vitamin D analogues and/or derivatives - together with others chemical compounds: the dosage and administration schedule must be individualised for each patient - in several Oncological Pathologies:

- A retrospective observational clinical study of triple negative breast cancer cases treated with Di Bella Method: A preliminary data;

- The Synergism of Somatostatin, Melatonin, Vitamins Prolactin and Estrogen Inhibitors Increased Survival, Objective Response and Performance Status In 297 Cases of Breast Cancer;

- Complete objective response, stable for 5 years, with the Di Bella Method, of multiple-metastatic carcinoma of the breast;

- Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the first-line treatment with somatostatin combined with melatonin, retinoids, vitamin D3, and low doses of cyclophosphamide in 20 cases of breast cancer: a preliminary report;

- The Di Bella Method (DBM) improved survival, objective response and performance status in a retrospective observational clinical study on 122 cases of breast cancer;

- Complete objective response to biological therapy of plurifocal breast carcinoma;

- A retrospective observational study on cases of anaplastic brain tumors treated with the Di Bella Method: A rationale and effectiveness;

- Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme (grade IV – WHO 2007): a case of complete objective response achieved by means of the concomitant administration of Somatostatin and Octreotide – Retinoids – Vitamin E – Vitamin D3 – Vitamin C – Melatonin – D2 R agonists (Di Bella Method – DBM) associated with Temozolomide;

- The Di Bella Method DBM improved survival objective response and performance status in a retrospective observational clinical study on 23 tumours of the head and neck;

- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Long-Lasting Remission with Combination of Cyclophosphamide, Somatostatin, Bromocriptine, Retinoids, Melatonin, and ACTH;

- Somatostatin, retinoids, melatonin, vitamin D, bromocriptine, and cyclophosphamide in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with low performance status;

- Somatostatin, retinoids, melatonin, vitamin D, bromocriptine, and cyclophosphamide in chemotherapy-pretreated patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and low performance status;