A real-world study of active vitamin D as a prognostic marker in patients with sarcoma

The assessment of sarcoma during clinical practice is primarily based on imaging examination, with no effective biomarkers available. Although it has been established that 1,25(OH)₂D₃ is abnormally expressed in patients with sarcoma, it remains unclear whether 1,25(OH)₂D₃ level could be used as an evaluation marker in these patient population.

This real-world study investigated 1,25(OH)₂D₃ level and its association with clinical features in sarcoma patients. Data on 1,25(OH)₂D₃, parathyroid hormone, calcium, and calcitonin were collected from 331 patients with sarcoma, while the imaging results and the variation in 1,25(OH)₂D₃ among 213 patients with sarcoma before and after treatment was further analyzed.

We found that the serum 1,25(OH)₂D₃ level was predominantly decreased in patients with sarcoma, with a mean of 45.68 nmol/L. 1,25(OH)₂D₃ was significantly correlated with the gender and age of sarcoma patients, with more substantial reductions in women and younger patients. Among sarcoma patients, those with progressive disease exhibited a 7.08 nmol/L (−13.73%) decrease in serum 1,25(OH)₂D₃ levels compared to baseline, while patients with non-progressive disease showed a 1.11 nmol/L (+ 7.0%) increase.

The variation of serum 1,25(OH)₂D₃ can predict the disease status of patients with sarcoma. Decreased serum 1,25(OH)₂D₃ levels are indicative of disease progression in sarcoma patients, suggesting its potential for application as a prognostic marker for disease assessment in this patient population.