Jump to main content
US EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Search
Search
Main menu
Environmental Topics
Laws & Regulations
About EPA
Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)
Contact Us
Print
Feedback
Export to File
Search:
This record has one attached file:
Add More Files
Attach File(s):
Display Name for File*:
Save
Citation
Tags
HERO ID
2729933
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Diabetes and Thyroid Cancer Risk in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study
Author(s)
Aschebrook-Kilfoy, B; Sabra, MM; Brenner, A; Moore, SC; Ron, E; Schatzkin, A; Hollenbeck, A; Ward, MH
Year
2011
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Thyroid
ISSN:
1050-7256
EISSN:
1557-9077
Volume
21
Issue
9
Page Numbers
957-963
Language
English
PMID
21767143
DOI
10.1089/thy.2010.0396
Web of Science Id
WOS:000294768800004
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
We hypothesized that diabetes may play a role in thyroid cancer risk due to the parallel secular rise in diabetes prevalence and morbidity in the United States, the higher prevalence of thyroid disorders among diabetics compared with the general population, and the potential roles of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes as precipitating factors in cancer development.
METHODS:
We assessed the association between self-reported diabetes and the risk of differentiated thyroid cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, a prospective cohort of 200,556 women and 295,992 men, 50-71 years of age, in 1995-1996. Diabetes status and information on potential confounders was ascertained using a self-administered questionnaire. During an average of 10 years of follow-up, 585 thyroid cancer cases were identified. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for thyroid cancer and thyroid cancer subtypes in men and women according to diabetes status.
RESULTS:
Nine percent of the total baseline cohort reported a history of diabetes (7% of women, 10% of men). A nonsignificant 25% increase in thyroid cancer risk (HR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.95-1.64) was associated with diabetes. Among women, the risk was significantly increased (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.01-2.10). The risk was not elevated among men (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.69-1.58). In this cohort, diabetic women with differentiated thyroid cancer were at somewhat higher risk of follicular thyroid cancer (HR = 1.92; 95% CI: 0.86-4.27) than papillary thyroid cancer (HR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.80-1.97).
CONCLUSION:
This study lends support to the hypothesis that diabetes increases the risk of differentiated thyroid cancer.
Home
Learn about HERO
Using HERO
Search HERO
Projects in HERO
Risk Assessment
Transparency & Integrity