London, UK (AHN)- A study of 456 patients found high levels of vitamin D - from sun exposure and food supplements - had a positive impact on the success of surgery. According to a US study, Lung cancer patients who have surgery in the winter are 40% more likely to die of the disease than those operated on in the summer. Lead researcher Wei Zhou said: "This study in no way suggests that people should try to time their cancer surgeries for a particular season - that would obviously be impossible. "But if validated it may mean that increasing a patient's use of vitamin D before such surgery could offer a survival benefit." Looking at the effect of the seasons, the team found patients who had operations in the winter were 40% more likely to die from their cancer than those who had the operation in the summer. Dr. Kat Arney, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said more research was needed to see if increasing the levels of vitamin D before surgery would be beneficial |
