Vitamin D Deficiency in Advanced Laryngeal Cancer and its Association with Pharyngocutaneous Fistula Following Total Laryngectomy

Background: Nutritional factors in developing some malignancies have been investigated recently.Objective: In this study, we evaluated the role of vitamin D in advanced laryngeal cancer and its association with the development of pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) following total laryngectomy.Study Design: A cross-sectional, case-control study was conducted.Methods: Fifty-five patients with advanced laryngeal cancer referred for total laryngectomy were included. We also considered 55 healthy individuals after matching age and sex as a control group. Serum levels of 25(OH)D-3 were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The association of serum 25(OH)D-3 with PCF following total laryngectomy was also determined.Results: Vitamin D was significantly lower in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer than in the control group (p < 0.001). Moreover, our results showed that a mean serum concentration of 25(OH)D-3 in patients with PCF was significantly lower than in patients without PCF (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in advanced laryngeal cancer, most pronounced in those who develop a PFC following total laryngectomy.