Association between diet and risk for recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer in low-and intermediate-risk group

Abstract

Diet has been suggested to play a role in thyroid cancer, but the association between the recurrence of thyroid cancer and diet has not been studied. The present study investigated the hypothesis that dietary intake was associated with risk for recurrence of in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), most common type of thyroid cancer. The risk for recurrence of PTC patients was defined using the American Thyroid Association risk stratification system. Intermediate risk group (n=228) was significantly younger and had more male, obese patients and more advanced tumor determined by tumor size, tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage than low risk group (n=136). Intermediate risk group consumed significantly more grains, meat, dairy products, energy, lipids, animal lipids, protein and animal protein than low risk group. Multivariable-adjusted regression analysis also showed that the risk for recurrence of PTC was positively associated with intakes of animal lipid, meat and dairy products after adjusting for confounders. Intake of meat but not dairy was positively associated with aggressive clinicopathological features of PTC such as tumor size > 1 cm and lymph node metastasis before and after adjusting for confounders. In addition, meat intake was positively associated with advanced tumor stage (T3 or T4) and absensce of thyroiditis in obese patients but not in non-obese patients. In conclusion, the present study was the first report showing positive association between risk for recurrence of PTC and intake of animal lipid from meat in patients with PTC, particularly obese PTC patients