Inclusion Criteria:
- Women undergoing core needle biopsy for a breast abnormality suspicious for breast
cancer. Women who have undergone a core needle biopsy demonstrating breast cancer who
have not yet had any further therapy are also eligible so long as their core needle
biopsy is available for analysis.
- No prior therapy for breast cancer.
- Age 18 years or older.
- Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent
document.
- Signed informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of parathyroid disease, hypercalcemia, or kidney stones.
- Supplemental vitamin D other than from a standard multiple vitamin or from standard
formulations of calcium and vitamin D (e.g. calcium citrate with vitamin D) within
the prior 6 months.
- History of renal failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation.
- Women who are known to be pregnant or who are nursing. (As vitamin D does not have
toxicity to the fetus, a negative pregnancy test is not a requirement to participate
in the study.)
- Supplemental calcium greater than 600 mg calcium per day during study.
- Patients for who initial treatment of their breast cancer will not be with breast
conserving surgery or mastectomy.
- Patients with locally advanced breast cancer
- Patients planned for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or other systemic
therapy.
- Patients planned for preoperative radiation therapy.
- Patients with planned surgical therapy of their breast cancer that would not allow
for at least 10 days of vitamin D intervention.
- Any condition potentially interfering with subjects ability to comply with taking
study medication.
- Any medical condition that would potentially interfere with vitamin D absorption,
such as celiac sprue, ulcerative colitis.
- Current participation in another research study that would increase risk to subject,
in the opinion of the investigators