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Role of dietary iodine and cruciferous vegetables in thyroid cancer: a countrywide case–control study in New Caledonia

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Abstract

Exceptionally high incidence rates of thyroid cancer have been reported in New Caledonia, particularly in Melanesian women. To clarify the reasons of this elevated incidence, we conducted a countrywide population-based case–control study in the multiethnic population of Caledonian women. The study included 293 cases of thyroid cancer and 354 population controls. Based on a food frequency questionnaire, we investigated the role in thyroid cancer of food items rich in iodine—such as seafood—and of vegetables containing goitrogens—such as cruciferous vegetables. A measure of total daily iodine intake based on a food composition table was also used. Our findings provided little support for an association between thyroid cancer and consumption of fish and seafood. We found that high consumption of cruciferous vegetables was associated with thyroid cancer among women with low iodine intake (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.01–3.43 for iodine intake <96 μg/day). The high consumption of cruciferous vegetables among Melanesian women, a group with mild iodine deficiency, may contribute to explain the exceptionally high incidence of thyroid cancer in this group.

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Abbreviations

CI:

Confidence intervals

OR:

Odds ratio

TSH:

Thyroid stimulating hormone

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Jean-Paul Grangeon (Direction des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales Nouvelle-Calédonie) as well as the Provincial Health Authorities (DPASS Sud, DPASS Nord, DPASS Îles) for their support during data collection. They are particularly grateful to Michèle Reynier who coordinated the interviews of study subjects across New Caledonia. They also thank Dr. Pierre Valeix for the iodine content data and Alexandra Suprayen for her help in quantifying local food portion size.

Conflict of interest statement

This study was supported by grants from the “Fondation de France,” the “Association pour la Recherche contre le Cancer,” and the “Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Environnement et du Travail (AFSSET)”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Epidemiology of Cancer, CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, 16 Avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94807, Villejuif Cedex, France

    Thérèse Truong & Pascal Guénel

  2. University Paris-Sud, UMRS 1018, 94807, Villejuif, France

    Thérèse Truong & Pascal Guénel

  3. Laboratory of Anatomy and Cytopathology, Nouméa, New Caledonia

    Dominique Baron-Dubourdieu

  4. Pasteur Institute of New Caledonia, Nouméa, New Caledonia

    Yannick Rougier

Authors
  1. Thérèse Truong
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  2. Dominique Baron-Dubourdieu
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  3. Yannick Rougier
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  4. Pascal Guénel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pascal Guénel.

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Truong, T., Baron-Dubourdieu, D., Rougier, Y. et al. Role of dietary iodine and cruciferous vegetables in thyroid cancer: a countrywide case–control study in New Caledonia. Cancer Causes Control 21, 1183–1192 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9545-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9545-2

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