TO: All melanoma researchers, doctors, and patients.

Here's my claim:  Congenital moles, normal moles, dysplastic or
atypical moles, and melanoma are all vitamin D deficiency tumors, the
latter being malignant and capable of metastasizing.

Here's my evidence:  Newly forming moles turn lighter with increased
intake of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).

Here's my explanation:  During the 1980's a few groups of researchers
found that the hormonal form of vitamin D is activated in the skin and
inhibits the growth of both skin cells and human melanoma cells.  (See
papers by Colston, Bikle, and Smith.)  Thus there is a negative
feedback loop that adjusts the amount of vitamin D3 coming from the
skin depending on the circulating 25D, which is the vitamin D
prehormone produced in the liver.  If the body is not getting
sufficient D3, then the skin makes an all-out, last-ditch effort to
produce more via uncontrolled skin growth, but if it still cannot do
so, then melanoma spreads throughout the body and there is a
catastrophic failure--just as there should be from a vitamin D
deficiency.

Here's my recommendation:  Vitamin D3 costs nothing, is easy to
administer, has no side effects, and its results would be known within
weeks, so it should be tested immediately on advanced melanoma.

Here's my prediction:  We are an off-the-shelf-pill away from
eradicating melanoma, but, alas, again this year nobody will try such
a basic remedy--not even as a last resort.  The story of scurvy is a
case in point--Dr. James Lind clearly demonstrated around 1750 that
citrus fruits control scurvy, but it wasn't until half a century
later, around 1800, that the British Navy ordered regular rations of
lime juice for sailors; even still, well over another century passed
before scurvy was finally recognized in 1920 as a vitamin C deficiency
disease.  And so it might be with vitamin D and melanoma, hence my
occasional posts.

Thank you very much for carefully considering this novel idea.

James Semmel
Albuquerque, New Mexico

reference:
http://www.mpip.org/cgi-bin/mpip/dbforum.pl?db=main_bb&post=408743
Last years' follow-ups to the 5th annual discussion: "Is melanoma
simply a vitamin D deficiency cancer?"