Abstract
BackgroundThe association between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and cancer mortality is seldom discussed.MethodsA total of 115,746 participants without thyroid disease history, aged 20 and above, were recruited from four nationwide health screening centers in Taiwan from 1998 to 1999. SCH was defined as a serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level of 5.0–19.96 mIU/L with normal total thyroxine concentrations. Euthyroidism was defined as a serum TSH level of 0.47–4.9 mIU/L. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) of death from cancer for adults with SCH during a 10-year follow-up period.ResultsAmong 115,746 adults, 1,841 had SCH (1.6%) and 113,905 (98.4%) had euthyroidism. There were 1,532 cancer deaths during the 1,034,082 person-years follow-up period. Adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol drinking, betel nut chewing, physical activity, income, and education level, the RRs (95% confidence interval) of cancer deaths among subjects with SCH versus euthyroid subjects were 1.51 (1.06 to 2.15). Cancer site analysis revealed a significant increased risk of bone, skin and breast cancer among SCH subjects (RR 2.79, (1.01, 7.70)). The risks of total cancer deaths were more prominent in the aged (RR 1.71, (1.02 to 2.87)), in females (RR 1.69 (1.08 to 2.65)), and in heavy smokers (RR 2.24, (1.19 to 4.21)).ConclusionsSubjects with SCH had a significantly increased risk for cancer mortality among adult Taiwanese. This is the first report to demonstrate the association between SCH and cancer mortality.
Highlights
The association between thyroid hormone and tumorigenesis has been discussed for more than 30 years
Subjects with Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) had a significantly increased risk for cancer mortality among adult Taiwanese. This is the first report to demonstrate the association between SCH and cancer mortality
Body mass index (BMI) has been reported to be positively correlated with serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels [23,24], but some other studies reported no difference in BMI between subjects with SCH or euthyroid status [25,26,27,28]
Summary
The association between thyroid hormone and tumorigenesis has been discussed for more than 30 years. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as normal serum thyroxine (T4) level with elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Effects of SCH on cardiovascular events, allcause mortality, and cardiovascular death have been discussed repeatedly in literature [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Only a few reports discuss the associations between SCH and cancer mortality. Our previous study reported increased risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in adults with SCH [9]. We aimed to evaluate the impact of SCH on cancer mortality in a large Taiwanese cohort. The association between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and cancer mortality is seldom discussed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
