Vitamin A and Breast Cancer Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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#breast-neoplasms #female #humans #prognosis #survival-rate

Vitamin A and Breast Cancer Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

He et al., 2018 | Clin Breast Cancer | Meta Analysis

Citation

He Juanjuan, Gu Yuanting, Zhang Shaojin. Vitamin A and Breast Cancer Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Clin Breast Cancer. 2018-Dec;18(6):e1389-e1400. doi:10.1016/j.clbc.2018.07.025

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The association between vitamin A intake and breast cancer survival has been inconsistent. We conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis to summarize the results on the association between dietary or supplement vitamin A and its derivatives and breast cancer-specific survival and overall survival (OS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search of PubMed and EMBASE was performed from inception to January 31, 2018. The summary hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using a random effects model. RESULTS: Ten studies (8 cohort, 1 clinical trial, and 1 of pooled studies), with 19,450 breast cancer cases, were included in the meta-analysis. The dietary intake of β-carotene was significantly associated with improved breast cancer OS, with a summary hazard ratio of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.99; I2 = 37.5%) for the highest versus lowest intake and 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.99; I2 = 38.7%) per 1200 μg/day increment of intake when assessing diet before diagnosis. Meta-regression analysis showed that adjustment for body mass index was a modified factor for the association between the intake of β-carotene and breast cancer OS (P = .013). However, the intake of other vitamin A derivatives (eg, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, retinol, lutein) had no effect on breast cancer prognosis when assessing diet before and after the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest limited evidence for the significantly inverse association between the prediagnosis dietary intake of β-carotene and OS among women with breast cancer. However, the intake of other vitamin A derivatives was not significantly associated with survival.

Key Findings

Ten studies (8 cohort, 1 clinical trial, and 1 of pooled studies), with 19,450 breast cancer cases, were included in the meta-analysis. The dietary intake of β-carotene was significantly associated with improved breast cancer OS, with a summary hazard ratio of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.99; I2 = 37.5%) for the highest versus lowest intake and 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.99; I2 = 38.7%) per 1200 μg/day increment of intake when assessing diet before diagnosis. Meta-regression

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Breast Neoplasms
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Prognosis
  • Survival Rate
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamins

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: vitamin-a

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09