Link between vitamin D and Melanoma

Hello Bee1990,

Thanks for getting in touch and a warm welcome to the Online Community. I’m Heidi one of the Cancer Information Nurses here on the Macmillan Support Line.

I can see you have joined our Melanoma Forum and I hope that you are finding it supportive.

Thank you for your question about the link between melanoma and vitamin D.  

Vitamin D helps to keep our bones, teeth, and muscles healthy by regulating the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. It also helps our immune system and has some anti-cancer effects.

Getting a small amount of sunshine on a regular basis as well as eating certain foods helps our bodies make vitamin D.

The amount of sun exposure you need depends on:

• your skin type – if you have black or brown skin, you need more sun exposure than someone with white skin.
• the time of year – in the UK, you do not get enough sunlight from October to early March to make vitamin D through sun exposure.

After treatment for melanoma, your specialist doctor or nurse will give you information about protecting your skin from the sun and vitamin D can become low in people who are protecting their skin from the sun or are indoors for most of the time.

 According to UpToDate, which is an American evidence based clinical decision and information website for medical professionals, research into the relationship between vitamin D and cancer risk has been inconsistent so far, due to the many variables within the studies themselves.

Cancer Research UK however has an interesting article from 2019 about the influence of vitamin D on the behaviour of melanoma cells in mice. You can find links to the research within the article. The article also suggests that anyone with newly diagnosed melanoma should have their vitamin D levels checked and managed accordingly.

 Melanoma UK have this information about vitamin D.

It is difficult to know whether you should be taking a supplement or recommend which supplements are the best ones to take. Your GP can check your vitamin D level and they, or specialist team, will always be best placed to advise further as they will understand your individual situation.

It is important to check with your specialist team before you take any supplements to ensure that it is safe to do so.

I hope the information provides a starting point for you. You mentioned that there is lots of conflicting information online and I can appreciate that it is difficult to know what information to trust. Cancer Research UK has some useful information about finding accurate information about cancer that I hope you will find helpful.

Dealing with cancer can be an emotional time and you might find it helpful to read our web pages about getting emotional support. You can also check our webpage to find details of support and information organisations in your area.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch again if we can support you further.

With best wishes 

Heidi

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or email us. 

Ref/LD/HC 

Hi Heidi, 

This is all really helpful, I’ll do some more reading.

Many thanks