April 2007 Monthly Follow Up: "Is Melanoma Simply A Vitamin D Deficiency Cancer?"

TO: All melanoma researchers, doctors, and patients.

Last month's post recalled three landmark studies from the 1980's that found the 1,25D hormone is made in the skin and inhibits both the growth of melanoma and the growth of skin; this active form of vitamin D is produced from the circulating precursor 25D produced in the liver from the inactive vitamin D, cholecalciferol, photosynthesized in the skin.

So, sending more vitamin D (25D) to the skin would inhibit skin cell growth, which would reduce the synthesis of more vitamin D (cholecalciferol).  A vitamin D (25D) deficiency in an internal tissue, say breast or prostate, would not benefit the body like it would in the skin, which is the body's chief provider of vitamin D (cholecalciferol).  In the skin, a vitamin D (25D) deficiency has a chance at producing more vitamin D (cholecalciferol), via the increased skin cell production, but it carries the risk of melanoma, which the 1981 study observed grows uncontrollably without that vitamin D (1,25D from circulating 25D).

The exact site of melanoma therefore depends both on sun exposure and on circulation, because the spots with weakest blood flow in the regions contributing least to D3 production--whether from too little sunlight (pale skin) or too much sunlight (tan skin)--will thus become deficient first.

James Semmel

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Most melanomas people get if from having sunburns from excessive sun exposure 10-15-20 years back.Sun tanning is bad for you always.Sun booth are as bad for your skin.Also you get not only melanoma but the most common cancer in the world which is skin cancer (squamous cell type and basal cell type).Melanoma represents only 4% of all skin cancers but it is most dangerous because can spread and kill.Vit D deficiency is rare these days and if you worry about it all you need is to walk for 15 minutes on the sunny side of your street to get enough sun exposure to get the benefit of sun on Vit D conversion in your skin.So keep you hat on and avoid sunburns and sun booths if you want to reduce the risk of getting any skin cancer.