Patients with a form of leukemia that sufficient amounts of vitamin D were, when the tumor is diagnosed when the disease was progressing faster and were twice as likely as those with sufficient vitamin D levels die set a new study.

The researchers also found that high vitamin D in patients associated with longer survival times, even after controlling for other factors associated with progression of leukemia.

This important finding for patients and doctors, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the University of Iowa.

Disease – chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – is a cancer of white blood cells (lymphocytes) and adults in particular. Although usually diagnosed at an early stage CLL, the conventional approach to wait until patients develop symptoms before the start of chemotherapy, “said study author Dr. hematologist Tait years and felt.

“This approach is difficult to observe and wait for the patient because they think there nothing they do to help themselves to feel,” said Mayo years ago, I felt a press release. “It seems that vitamin D levels may be a risk factor for the progression of change leukemia. It is checked just sick of their vitamin D levels by their doctors with a blood test. Miss you are vitamin D are common and only minimal side effects. ”

This study of 390 patients with CLL that 30 percent of whom do not have enough vitamin D levels (less than 25 nanograms per milliliter) at the time of diagnosis of cancer. After 66 percent of median follow-up to three years, the patients have adequate vitamin D levels with more progression of the disease and chemotherapy. They were also at increased risk for death compared to those with dual adequate vitamin D.

Similar results were observed in another group of CLL patients were followed for 10 years, according to researchers.

“This tells us that there is a lack of vitamin D, first on a possible change in the context of risk prediction instruments newly diagnosed CLL,” said Anna felt.

The researchers plan to further investigations to see if reversing low vitamin D in patients to improve their prognosis.?