title: Vitamin D status in paediatric patients with cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children with malignant disease are at increased risk of bone disorders and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D status may influence this risk and so we assessed vitamin D levels in children with malignant disease undergoing active treatment or surveillance post-therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an outpatient-based cross-sectional study of 61 children with a history of malignancy (median age 11.1 years; range 1.5-24.4 years) and 60 control subjects (median age 8.4 years; range 0.2-18.0 years) attending hospital for the management of non-malignant disorders. Serum vitamin D (25-OH-D), parathormone levels and bone biochemistry were determined. Vitamin D status and its relationship to age, sex, ethnicity, time of sampling and presence of malignant disease was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vitamin D status was suboptimal in 62% of cases (25-OH-D < 50 nmol/L [20 ng/ml]). Vitamin D deficiency (25-OH-D < 25 nmol/L [10 ng/ml]) was more common in children with malignant disease than controls (21.3% vs. 3.3%; P = 0.013). Month of sampling (P < 0.001), ethnicity (P < 0.001), older age (P = 0.011), and history of malignancy (P = 0.012) were associated with a poorer vitamin D status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D levels [25-OH-D] are lower in survivors of childhood cancer in comparison to control children with the majority either insufficient or deficient. Assessment and adequate replacement of vitamin D status may be of particular value in this group of children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Akash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cheetham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D