Thyroid Cancer (Thyroid Carcinoma): Causes

Pathogenesis (development of disease)

Thyroid carcinomas arise from either thyrocytes (follicular epithelial cells of the thyroid gland; papillary and follicular carcinoma) or parafollicular C cells (medullary carcinoma). They arise from genetic alterations of these cells.

The reason for this genetic alteration is unclear in many cases.

Etiology (causes)

Biographic causes

Genetic burden from parents, grandparents, especially in medullary thyroid carcinoma and familial syndromes e.g., MEN 2
- Genetic risk depending on gene polymorphisms:
  - Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
    - Genes: FOXE1
    - SNP: rs965513 in an intergenic region.
      - Allele constellation: AG (1.77-fold).
      - Allele constellation: AA (3.1-fold)
    - SNP: rs1867277 in the gene FOXE1
      - Allele constellation: AG (1.5-fold).
      - Allele constellation: AA (2.0-fold)
    - SNP: rs944289 in an intergenic region.
      - Allele constellation: CT (1.3-fold).
      - Allele constellation: TT (1.69-fold)
Ethnic origin – Asian and African ancestry [US study!, 1].
Birth weight of female children: at birth weight 2,500-3,999 grams for reference:
- <2,500 grams: thyroid carcinoma risk 13% lowered.
- > 4,000 grams: thyroid carcinoma risk 11% increased
Probably insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-related.

Behavioral causes

Diet – iodine deficiency
Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity); there is a clear association between obesity, diabetes mellitus and differentiated thyroid carcinoma; bes. strong predictor was BMI

Disease-related causes

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Radiation

Condition after radiotherapy (radiotherapy) of the neck region or mediastinum (mediastinum, this is a vertically running tissue space in the chest cavity); after a CT in the head and neck region, the risk of tumors is increased for children. This is especially true for thyroid carcinomas (increased by 78%) and brain tumors (increased by 60%). The overall cancer incidence is increased by 13%.
Ionizing radiation