Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Graves’ disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperparathyroidism with the presence anti-TSH receptor antibodies (TR-Ab). The incidence of concomitant thyroid cancer in GD varies, and there is no clear consensus on the risk factors. Limited studies have examined the relationship between thyroid cancer in GD and obesity. The aim of the study was to identify the risk factors for concurrent thyroid cancer in GD patients and evaluate the impact of overweight on cancer risk in GD.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the medical charts and pathology reports of 122 patients with GD who underwent thyroid surgery from May 2010 to December 2022 at OOO Hospital. The height and weight of patients were measured prior to surgery to calculate their body mass index(BMI). Overweight was defined as BMI of 25 kg/m² or higher according to the WHO.

Results: The majority (88.5%) underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy. In multivariate analysis, overweight shows higher risk of malignancy (OR, 3.108; 95% CI, 1.196-8.831; P = 0.021). The lighter gland weight and lower preoperative TR-Ab were found to risk factors for malignancy in GD.

Conclusions: Overweight patients have higher risk of thyroid cancer than non-overweight patients. Postoperative hypothyroidism was the most common postoperative complication in GD patients and the majority of cases were transient. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and the effect of overweight on thyroid cancer risk in GD patients in general population.