Abdullah Al Mamun Khan¹*, Narita Khurshid², Mosfika Rahman³ and Muhammed Jahangir Alam³

¹Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
²Consultant, Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
³Assistant Professor, National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

*Corresponding Author: Abdullah Al Mamun Khan, Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Received: April 29, 2026; Published: June 25, 2026

Abstract

Background: Serum low vitamin D is linked to an increased risk of various cancers. However, evidence from developing countries remains limited. This study evaluated the association between serum Vitamin D levels and clinical characteristics of cancer patients. Methods: This was an observational study at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital & NICRH from January 2021 to December 2025. Patients were categorized into Vitamin D deficient, insufficient and sufficient groups . Associations between Vitamin D status and cancer stage, grade, cancer type, and lifestyle factors were evaluated. Results: Among 940 patients, 780 (83%) had deficient or insufficient Vitamin D levels. Female patients had higher odds of Vitamin D deficiency :OR 2.43, p < 0.001.Vitamin D sufficiency was associated with a higher proportion of Stage I disease:18.8% vs 2.6%, p < 0.001.Vitamin D deficiency was most prevalent in individuals aged 50-65 years (58.51%, p = 0.015). Patients with deficient or insufficient Vitamin D had higher odds of poor performance status compared to Vitamin D sufficient patients (OR 2.7, p < 0.001). Betel nut and non smoking tobacco use was significantly associated with Vitamin D deficiency: OR 3.28, p < 0.001. Co-morbidities, such as diabetes and hypertension, were associated with a 2.3-fold increased risk of cancer progression, particularly in stage 3 and 4 cancers (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among cancer patients and is associated with lifestyle factors and earlier stage at diagnosis. Further prospective studies are required.

Keywords: Vitamin D; Cancer Risk; Colorectal Cancer; Breast Cancer; Co-morbidities

Citation

Citation: Abdullah Al Mamun Khan., et al. “Low Serum Vitamin D as a Risk Factor for Cancer Development and Advanced Disease: An Observational Study". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 10.6 (2026): 18-25.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Abdullah Al Mamun Khan., et al.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.