Vitamin D Status and Skin Cancer Risk Independent of Time Outdoors: 11-Year Prospective Study in an Australian Community

Abstract

Vitamin D may have anti–skin cancer effects, but population-based evidence is lacking. We therefore assessed associations between vitamin D status and skin cancer risk in an Australian subtropical community. We analyzed prospective skin cancer incidence for 11 years following baseline assessment of serum 25(OH)-vitamin D in 1,191 adults (average age 54 years) and used multivariable logistic regression analysis to adjust risk estimates for age, sex, detailed assessments of usual time spent outdoors, phenotypic characteristics, and other possible confounders. Participants with serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations above 75nmoll−1 versus those below 75nmoll−1 more often developed basal cell carcinoma (odds ratio (OR)=1.51 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–2.07, P=0.01) and melanoma (OR=2.71 (95% CI: 0.98–7.48, P=0.05)). Squamous cell carcinoma incidence tended to be lower in persons with serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations above 75nmoll−1 compared with those below 75nmoll−1 (OR=0.67 (95% CI: 0.44–1.03, P=0.07)). Vitamin D status was not associated with skin cancer incidence when participants were classified as above or below 50nmoll−1 25(OH)-vitamin D. Our findings do not indicate that the carcinogenicity of high sun exposure can be counteracted by high vitamin D status. High sun exposure is to be avoided as a means to achieve high vitamin D status