Vitamin D receptor and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase expression in skin basal cell carcinomas

Introduction. Literature data indicate the role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the development of internal organs and skin cancers. There are also scarce data on the impact of abnormal activity of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) on induction of cancerogenesis.
Objective. To assess 25(OH)D and parathormone concentration in sera of patients with BCC and to analyse VDR and MTHFR expression in BCC lesions.
Material and methods. The study group consisted of 79 BCC patients and 46 healthy subjects. Vitamin D and parathormone serum level was assessed in all subjects whereas VDR and MTHFR expression was evaluated in biopsies taken from 44 BCC patients and 30 healthy subjects.
Results. 25(OH)D serum level was significantly higher in the control group than in BCC patients (p = 0.0026), whereas parathormone serum concentration was higher in BCC patients (p < 0.0001). In BCC patients significantly higher VDR expression was found in comparison to healthy subjects (p < 0.001). The same finding was noted in regard to MTHFR expression, which was higher in biopsies taken from BCC lesions than in the control group (p < 0.01).
Conclusions. Our results indicate that although the role of VDR and MTHFR in the development of basal cell carcinoma is not unequivocal, a lot of evidence testifies to their essential impact on carcinogenesis. Thus, further complex and multicentre studies are required for complete understanding of BCC pathogenesis.