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Menstrual and reproductive history and use of exogenous sex hormones and risk of thyroid cancer among women: a meta-analysis of prospective studies

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Abstract

Purpose

Thyroid cancer has a higher incidence in women than in men, and it has been hypothesized that hormonal factors may explain such disparity. We performed a meta-analysis of observational prospective studies to investigate the association between menstrual and reproductive variables and exogenous hormone use and the risk of thyroid cancer among women.

Methods

We calculated summary relative risks and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) using random effect models.

Results

Overall, 5,434 thyroid cancer cases from twenty-four papers were included. Increasing age at first pregnancy/birth (SRR 1.56, 95 % CI 1.01–2.42) and hysterectomy (SRR 1.43, 95 % CI 1.15–1.78) were associated with thyroid cancer risk. Women that were in menopause at enrolment had a reduced thyroid cancer risk (SRR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.62–1.01). No other menstrual, reproductive, and hormonal variable was associated with thyroid cancer risk.

Conclusions

Menstrual and reproductive factors may play a role in the etiology of thyroid cancer, possibly through the mediation of estrogen receptors.

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Abbreviations

95 % CI:

95 % confidence intervals

ER:

Estrogen receptors

SRR:

Summary relative risk

OC:

Oral contraceptives

HRT:

Hormone replacement therapy

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Acknowledgments

This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute for Cancer Research and Prevention (ISPO), Via delle Oblate 2, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Saverio Caini, Domenico Palli & Calogero Saieva

  2. Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Thyroid Cancer Unit, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Bianca Gibelli

  3. Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Massimilano Ruscica

  4. Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Sara Gandini

Authors
  1. Saverio Caini
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  2. Bianca Gibelli
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  3. Domenico Palli
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  4. Calogero Saieva
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  5. Massimilano Ruscica
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  6. Sara Gandini
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Correspondence to Saverio Caini.

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Caini, S., Gibelli, B., Palli, D. et al. Menstrual and reproductive history and use of exogenous sex hormones and risk of thyroid cancer among women: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Cancer Causes Control 26, 511–518 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0546-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0546-z

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