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| | | ![]() Hypothyroidism in Women Associated With Liver Cancer HOBOKEN, NJ -- May 4, 2009 -- Women with a history of hypothyroidism face a significantly higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to a study published in the May issue of Hepatology. Manal Hassan, MD, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, and colleagues designed a case-control study to better understand the association between hypothyroidism and the development of HCC. They included 420 patients with HCC and 1,104 healthy controls. From each patient, the researchers gathered demographic data and information about HCC risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and family cancer history. The participants were also asked about their history of thyroid conditions and obesity. They provided blood samples that were tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. About 15% of the patients with HCC had a history of thyroid disease, compared with about 12% of the healthy controls. Patients with a history of hypothyroidism had twice the risk of HCC. However, the relationship was only significant for females. Women who had a prior history of hypothyroidism for more than 10 years had a 3-fold higher risk of HCC compared with women without a history of thyroid disorders. Adjusting for obesity did not change the association. "Whether and why hypothyroidism causes HCC is not clear," the authors wrote. "However, the association between hypothyroidism and NASH can be explained by the underlying hyperlipidemia, decreased fatty acid oxidation insulin resistance and lipid peroxidation in patients with hypothyroidism." And these conditions may make the patient susceptible to HCC development. "Further studies among different populations are warranted to confirm the association between hypothyroidism and HCC and to identify the underlying biological mechanisms and the genetic predisposition factors that may contribute to susceptibility to HCC development in the presence of thyroid disorders," the authors concluded. SOURCE: Wiley-Blackwell
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