Thyroid dysfunction and risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization...

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Endocrinology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Observational studies suggest a link between thyroid dysfunction and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM).
• The causal relationship and its direction between thyroid dysfunction and CMM remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal link between thyroid dysfunction and CMM using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology.

Main Methods:

• Utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from European populations for genetic tools.
• Employed inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the primary MR analysis method.
• Conducted sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger, MR-PRESSO, and weighted median for robustness.

Main Results:

• Genetically predicted hypothyroidism showed a weak negative correlation with CMM risk (OR=0.987, p=0.041).
• Hyperthyroidism did not show a significant association with CMM risk (p>0.05).
• Reverse MR analysis found no significant correlation between CMM and thyroid dysfunction.

Conclusions:

• Hypothyroidism may act as a protective factor against CMM, although the association is weak.
• Further investigation into the underlying mechanisms of this relationship is warranted.