Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
Hysterectomy, Oophorectomy, and Risk of Thyroid Cancer
Juhua Luo1, Michael Hendryx1, JoAnn E Manson1
1Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (J.L.) and Applied Health Science (M.H.), School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana 47405; Division of Preventive Medicine (J.E.M.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; China Institute of Health (X.L.), School of Social Development and Public Policy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 100875; and HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research (K.L.M.), Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-1524.
Context:
Estrogen has been suggested as a risk factor for thyroid cancer.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to examine the associations between hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO), and incidence of thyroid cancer.
Design:
This was a prospective cohort study.
Setting:
The study was conducted at 40 clinical centers in the United States.
Participants:
A total of 127 566 women aged 50-79 were enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative during 1993-1998.
Main Outcome Measures:
Hysterectomy and BSO were self-reported. Incident thyroid cancer cases were confirmed by medical record review.
Results:
Three hundred forty-four incident thyroid cancer cases were identified during an average of 14.4 years of follow-up. Compared with women without hysterectomy, women with hysterectomy, regardless of ovarian status, had a significantly higher risk of thyroid cancer (hazard ratio 1.46 [95% confidence interval 1.16-1.85]). Hysterectomy with BSO was not associated with a lower risk for thyroid cancer compared with hysterectomy alone. Among women with hysterectomy alone, hormone therapy use was associated with lower risk of thyroid cancer (hazard ratio 0.47 [95% confidence interval 0.28-0.78]). However, we did not observe significant associations between hormone therapy use and thyroid cancer in women without hysterectomy or women with hysterectomy plus BSO.
Conclusion:
Our large prospective study observed that hysterectomy, regardless of oophorectomy status, was associated with increased risk of thyroid cancer among postmenopausal women. In addition, our data did not support the hypotheses that exogenous estrogen is a risk factor or that estrogen deprivation is a protective factor for thyroid cancer. Further research is needed to clarify whether these apparent associations may be due to shared risk factors between indications for hysterectomy and thyroid cancer.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...
01:23The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
01:18Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
02:07Oogenesis
01:30Hormonal Control of the Ovarian Cycle
Before puberty, the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a low frequency, low amplitude pulsatile manner. This along with the immature hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity, results in low estrogen levels and the absence of a fully functional ovarian cycle. At puberty, GnRH secretion increases in both frequency and...
01:24Disorders of the Female Reproductive System