Collection
Thyroid Cancer: The Role of Nutritional and Dietary Factors
Thyroid cancer is the most frequent endocrine neoplasm worldwide and the third most common malignancy in women of all ages. In the past few decades, the global incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer has rapidly increased, especially in the papillary hystotype. Previous head/neck irradiation, a history of benign thyroid nodules and goiter, and a family history of proliferative thyroid disease are established risk factors for thyroid cancer. However, the etiology of thyroid carcinoma is still not fully elucidated, and other modifiable risk factors such as nutritional patterns and eating habits have attracted great interest for their potential contribution in the etiology of thyroid cancer. Nutritional factors like iodine intake, selenium nutritional status, vitamin D levels and food items (e.g., fish, vegetables and fruits, dairy products, alcohol) have been related to an increased risk or to protective effects on thyroid cancer risk, but no definitive conclusion can be drawn about these associations. Therefore, within this Topical Collection, preclinical, clinical and epidemiological studies, as well as reviews, are invited, targeting the role of nutritional status in the occurrence of thyroid cancer and the possible underlying biological mechanisms.
Keywords:
Thyroid cancer; Carcinogenesis; Incidence; Modifiable Factors; Nutritional Factors; Dietary Habits
Editors
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Francesca Gorini
Dr Francesca Gorini, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Italy After the Master Degree in Biological Science, she was awarded a Ph.D. in Molecular Biotechnologies from University of Pisa. She is researcher at the Unit of Epidemiology of Rare Diseases and Congenital Anomalies of the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council in Italy. Most of her research has focused on the pathophysiology of the thyroid gland and the role of endocrine disruptors as risk factors of thyroid disease, including thyroid cancer.
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Alessandro Tonacci
Dr Alessandro Tonacci, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Italy He obtained the Master Degree in Biomedical Engineering from University of Pisa in 2010 and was awarded a PhD in Automatics, Robotics and Bioengineering from University of Pisa in 2015. He is Researcher at the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Council of Research (IFC-CNR). He does research on Life Sciences, investigating sensoriality and use of wearable sensors in food and beyond. He is co-author of more than 140 peer-reviewed scientific products and is Chair of the IEEE CTSoc Technical Committee in "Consumer Healthcare and Wellbeing".
