Alcohol abuse as a risk factor for developing thyroid cancer

Introduction/Objective. Alcohol abuse influence on developing thyroid cancer is controversial. While some studies consider it a protective factor, others deny any impact on thyroid cancer. The objective of the paper was to establish a possible link between alcohol abuse and certain types of thyroid cancers. Methods. The retrospective study included 502 patients with thyroid cancer and control group of 600 patients with benign forms of thyroid diseases (e.g. nodular, multinodular and toxic nodular goiter). Thyroid cancer patients were divided into 4 groups: I - papillary, II - medullary, III - anaplastic, and IV - follicular carcinoma, and grouped by sex, age ( 30 yrs.) and alcohol abuse, as defined by WHO. Results. Thyroid cancer patients were predominantly male of younger age. This distribution difference was statistically significant in groups I and II (p < 0.001). Of total 10 (0.9%) patients with chronic alcohol abuse, 8 (1.6%) had thyroid cancer, while 2 (0.3%) belonged to the control group (p < 0.001). In thyroid cancer patients, chronic alcohol abuse was absent in group III and IV. Distribution in group I and II was 6 (1.6%) and 2 (2%) respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion. Alcohol abuse deserves to be considered as a risk factor for papillary and medullary forms of thyroid cancer, while it does not stay the same for anaplastic and follicular thyroid cancers.