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

Nutritional factors in developing some malignancies have been investigated recently.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.A cross-sectional, case-control study was conducted.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)D3 were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The association of serum 25(OH)D3 with PCF following total laryngectomy was also determined.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)D3 in patients with PCF was significantly lower than in patients without PCF (p < 0.001).Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in advanced laryngeal cancer, most pronounced in those who develop a PFC following total laryngectomy.