Sex-specific thyroid cancer risk exists in patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). However, thyroid cancer risk in different types of DM is still unclear. This meta-analysis aims to identify the real correlation between different types of DM and thyroid cancer risk in both sexes.
Studies were identified by an electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library on 16 January 2022. A random-effects model was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs). The Cochran’s Q and I2 statistics were computed to detect heterogeneity between studies.
In comparison with non-DM counterparts, patients with DM had a 1.32-fold higher risk of thyroid cancer (95% CI, 1.22–1.44) with 1.26-fold (95% CI, 1.12–1.41) in men and 1.36-fold (95% CI, 1.22–1.52) in women, respectively. Subgroup analysis by the type of DM showed that the RR of thyroid cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.17–1.53) in the study population with 1.32 (95% CI, 1.12–1.54) in men and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.12–1.68) in women, respectively; the RR of thyroid cancer was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.17–1.43) in patients with gestational diabetes; the risk of thyroid cancer in patients with type 1 diabetes was 1.51-fold in women but not in men. Although there were some heterogeneities, it did not affect the above results of this study.
This study indicates that, compared with non-DM individuals, patients with any type of DM have an elevated thyroid cancer risk. This positive correlation between type 2 diabetes and thyroid cancer risk exists in both men and women.