Table 4.

Search string for the Cochrane database of systematic reviews

Step	Search string
1	#1 MeSH descriptor: (Vitamin D) explode all trees
	#2 MeSH descriptor: (Cholecalciferol) explode all trees
	#3 MeSH descriptor: (Calcifediol) explode all trees
	#4 MeSH descriptor: (Calcitriol) explode all trees
	#5 MeSH descriptor: (Hydroxycholecalciferols) explode all trees
	#6 ((‘alfacalcidol’) OR (‘alphacalcidol’) OR (‘hydroxycholecalciferol*’) OR (‘1-hydroxycholecalciferol’) OR (‘hydroxyvitamin* D’) OR (‘calcifediol’) OR (‘calcidiol’) OR (‘calcitriol’) OR (‘dihydroxycholecalciferol*’) OR (‘dihydroxyvitamin d*’) OR (‘vitamin D’) OR (cholecalciferol*) OR (‘vitamin D3’) OR (‘vitamin D 3’) OR (‘calciol’)) (Word variations have been searched)
	#7 (‘vitamin d*’):ti, ab, kw (Word variations have been searched)
	#8 {OR #1-#7}
2	#9 MeSH descriptor: (Mortality) explode all trees
	#10 MeSH descriptor: (Death) explode all trees #11 MeSH descriptor: (Survival) explode all trees
	#12 (‘mortality’ OR ‘dea*’ OR ‘died’ OR ‘survival’ OR ‘surviv*’) (Word variations have been searched)
	#13 {OR #9-#12}
3	#14 MeSH descriptor: (Neoplasms) explode all trees
	#15 (carcinoma* OR tumour* OR tumor* OR cancer* OR malignanc* OR neoplas*) (Word variations have been searched)
	#16 #14 OR #15
4	#17 #13 OR #16
5	#18 #8 AND #17 in Cochrane Reviews (Word variations have been searched)

MeSH, medical subject headings.