Family History of Hypertension Predicts Thyroid Cancer Risk in Women: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study With...

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Genetics

Background:

• Thyroid cancer is a common endocrine malignancy with higher incidence in women.
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension is a known risk factor, but the link to thyroid cancer is unclear.
• This study investigates gender-specific associations between hypertension family history and thyroid cancer risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the gender-specific relationship between family history of hypertension and thyroid cancer.
• To identify clinical and genetic factors associated with thyroid cancer risk.
• To evaluate the potential for integrated screening and genetic profiling in thyroid cancer management.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale cross-sectional study of 52,963 participants in China, including 296 thyroid cancer cases.
• Utilized an interpretable ensemble machine learning model to assess risk factors and odds ratios (ORs).
• Employed Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier analyses to identify hypertension-related genes and survival outcomes.

Main Results:

• A family history of hypertension was significantly associated with altered thyroid cancer rates (p < 0.001).
• Women with a family history of hypertension showed increased thyroid cancer risk (OR = 1.53, p = 0.04) and it was a key predictor.
• Genetic analysis revealed FOXD3, F10, and SLC12A5 as key genes linked to poorer survival and distinct immune profiles.

Conclusions:

• Family history of hypertension is a significant risk factor for thyroid cancer, particularly in women.
• Genetic profiling of hypertension-related genes may improve thyroid cancer risk stratification.
• Integrating hypertension screening with genetic data can inform personalized management strategies.