Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages may lower risk of thyroid cancer
This prospective study provides some support to the hypothesis that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages may be associated with a lower risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (*).
Several epidemiological studies have suggested a protective association between current moderate intake of alcoholic beverages and risk of thyroid cancer, however, the results have not been completely consistent and several questions remain unanswered. 477 263 participants (70% women) of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Study) were followed for 11 years and the association of baseline and lifetime alcohol consumption with thyroid cancer was examined. In total, 556 (90% women) cases with differentiated thyroid cancer were diagnosed. The analysis revealed that consuming 15 or more grams of alcohol (approximately 1-1.5 drinks) compared to 0.1-4.9 g/day (as control) resulted in a 23% lower risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Similar results were observed when analyzing the results by type of alcoholic beverage, by differentiated thyroid cancer histology or according to age, sex, smoking status, body mass index and diabetes.
Sen A, Tsilidis KK, Allen NE, et al. Baseline and lifetime alcohol consumption and risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in the EPIC study. Br J Cancer. 20151;113(5):840-7.
For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.
(*)Thyroid cancer is a cancer that starts in the thyroid gland. There are several types of thyroid cancer. Most thyroid cancers are differentiated cancers. In these cancers, the cells look a lot like normal thyroid tissue when seen under a microscope. These cancers develop from thyroid follicular cells.
Papillary carcinoma: About 8 out of 10 thyroid cancers are papillary carcinomas (also called papillary cancers or papillary adenocarcinomas). Papillary carcinomas tend to grow very slowly and usually develop in only one lobe of the thyroid gland.
Follicular carcinoma, also called follicular cancer or follicular adenocarcinoma, is the next most common type, making up about 1 out of 10 thyroid cancers. It is more common in countries where individuals don’t get enough iodine in the diet.
Hürthle (Hurthle) cell carcinoma, also known as oxyphil cell carcinoma, is actually a variant of follicular carcinoma. It accounts for about 3% of thyroid cancers.