Abstract B61: Vitamin D-binding protein and pancreatic cancer: A nested case-control study

Research examining the association between vitamin D and pancreatic cancer is inconsistent, with some studies showing an elevated risk with increased vitamin D (Stolzenberg-Solomon, 2006, 2009, 2010) and another showing an inverse association. (Wolpin, 2012) This counterintuitive finding has led researchers to investigate levels of vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) as a possible explanation. DBP serves several important functions in the body, including acting as the primary carrier of vitamin D in the bloodstream. (Speeckaert, 2006) Previous research in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Study found an inverse trend for DBP and pancreatic cancer in male Finnish smokers, with higher compared to lower DBP concentrations showing a protective association with pancreatic cancer. (Weinstein, 2012) We conducted a nested case-control study in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial cohort of men and women aged 55-74 at baseline. Between 1993 and 2010, 295 incident cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma were reported (follow-up to 15.1 years). Two controls (n = 590) who were alive at the time the case was diagnosed were selected for each case and were matched by age, race, sex, month of blood draw. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for smoking status and diabetes mellitus. DBP concentration was not significantly associated with pancreatic cancer overall (highest vs. lowest quintile, ≥7149.4 vs. 5 years after baseline (n = 214 cases, highest vs. lowest quintile, OR=2.12, 95% CI 1.01-4.43, p-value=0.047). We did not confirm the protective association seen previously. Our results do not support the hypothesis that DBP plays a protective role in pancreatic cancer. Funded by NCI Contract No. HHSN261200800001E. Citation Format: Marina R. Piper, William Kopp, Helen Rager, Ronald L. Horst, Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon. Vitamin D-binding protein and pancreatic cancer: A nested case-control study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr B61.