Somatostatin Analogs and Tumor Localization Do Not Influence Vitamin D Concentration in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Octreotide and Somatostatin in this controlled clinical trial publication.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum level of vitamin D in NET patients.

Why It Was Studied

Patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), malignancies of rare but still rising incidence, may be a group at higher risk of vitamin D insufficiency.

The gastrointestinal tumor prevalence and somatostatin analog (SSA) therapy may cause vitamin D malabsorption.

Who Took Part

The study group was 36 patients.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, middle-aged adults, older adults and people over 80, both men and women.

A total of 36 NET patients were enrolled into the experimental group and 16 individuals were enrolled into the control group.

What Was Measured

The gastrointestinal tumor prevalence and somatostatin analog (SSA) therapy may cause vitamin D malabsorption.

All patients were further classified into subgroups according to primary tumor localization (gastropancreatic, lung, and other NETs) or therapy (with or without SSA treatment).

PubMed files the paper under topics including Antineoplastic Agents, Calcitriol, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Octreotide, Peptides, Cyclic, Somatostatin and Vitamin D.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a controlled clinical trial of Octreotide and Somatostatin in 36 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2016 (Nutrition and cancer), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Octreotide compound page and the Somatostatin compound page, all human trials.