Vitamin D trial finds no clear benefit for prostate-cancer progression
In men under active surveillance, supplementation did not clearly improve the cancer outcomes studied, despite changes in some blood-cell markers.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The trial found no clear delay in prostate-cancer progression or the start of active treatment with vitamin D versus placebo in men under surveillance. Some blood-cell markers declined, but these changes do not demonstrate improved cancer outcomes. The results also do not prove that the treatments are equivalent or rule out smaller effects.
The abstract supplies no survival effect sizes or confidence intervals and does not specify survival follow-up duration. That limits assessment of how much benefit or harm remains compatible with the findings.
What researchers found
Time before active treatment or cancer progression
Vitamin D versus placebo; log-rank p = 0.44 for active therapy-free survival and p = 0.60 for progression-free survival. Survival follow-up: Not reported in the abstract.
What the trial tracked
Researchers assessed time without starting active cancer treatment and time without disease progression. They also examined vitamin D metabolites and blood-cell markers of genome damage, keeping clinical and laboratory outcomes distinct.
Laboratory findings and adverse events
Some markers of genome damage in immune cells declined with vitamin D. Adverse-event occurrence showed no appreciable group difference, but the abstract gives no detailed event rates or severity information.
The original publication
High-dose vitamin D supplementation and prostate cancer progression: a phase II randomised trial in localised prostate cancer cases with intermediate risk of progression (ProsD).
Nair-Shalliker V, Smith DP, Gebski V et al.
Br J Cancer · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41423505
- Record checked
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