Risk factors of thyroid cancer in Babol, Northern Iran

Background : Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Several risk factors were found to play a role in thyroid cancer. The purpose of the study was to determine the risk factors for thyroid cancer, in Babol, north of Iran.

Eighty patients with thyroid cancer were selected as case group and 160 people living in the neighborhood of the patients as control group. Risk factors in both groups were collected and compared. The odds ratio (OR) as well as the marginal logistic regression model were used to estimate the possible risk factors. Result : X-ray exposure, radioactive exposure, family history of thyroid cancer, history of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and thyroid resection were found to be the risk factors of thyroid cancer (p<0.05). Passion exposure, OCP user, history of hysterectomy, history of thyroid nodule were not correlated to thyroid cancer (p>0.05).

History of goiter or other benign thyroid diseases are among the thyroid cancer risk factors in some community-based interventions to prevent or treat the disease in early stages are recommended in our region.