# Evaluation of the Association between Sjögren Syndrome and Thyroid Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Sjögren Syndrome and Thyroid Cancer Risk

## TL;DR

This study finds that Sjögren’s syndrome increases the risk of thyroid cancer, especially in women and those in their 50s.

## Contribution

The study provides a meta-analysis showing a significant association between Sjögren’s syndrome and thyroid cancer risk.

## Key findings

- Sjögren’s syndrome increases thyroid cancer risk overall with an odds ratio of 2.08.
- Risk is highest in patients aged 50–59 years with an odds ratio of 4.65.
- Women with Sjögren’s syndrome have a higher risk (OR: 1.83) compared to men (OR: 1.49).

## Abstract

Sjögren’s syndrome affects the skin, joints, lungs, kidneys, liver, and
thyroid. This research was aimed to assess the association of Sjögren’s
syndrome with the thyroid carcinoma risk.

The present study was used a systematic review and meta-analysis method. This
study searched the databases ProQuest, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and
the search engine Google Scholar until July 7, 2024. The level of
significance was considered as P0.05, and all data analyses were done in
STATA 14 software.

A review of 11 studies revealed that Sjögren’s syndrome increased the thyroid
carcinoma risk in all patients (OR: 2.08, (95%CI: 1.47, 2.94)), in patients
aged 40 to 49 years (OR: 1.43, (95%CI: 1.23, 1.67)), 50 to 59 years (OR:
4.65, (95%CI: 1.87, 11.58)), 60 to 69 years (OR: 1.34, (95%CI: 1.08, 1.66))
and in women ((OR:1.83, (95%CI: 1.35, 2.48). However, there was no
significant association between Sjögren’s syndrome and thyroid carcinoma
risk in men ((OR: 1.49, (95%CI: 0.95, 2.34). Moreover, patients with
Sjögren’s syndrome who had a follow-up period of = 5 years ((OR: 1.68,
(95%CI: 1.10, 2.54) and patients with a follow-up period of 5 years ((OR:
5.77, (95%CI: 1.97, 16.97) were at risk of thyroid cancer. Moreover, the
thyroid carcinoma risk was in Europe ((OR: 3.26, (95%CI: 1.24, 8.56) and in
Asia ((OR: 1.87, (95%CI: 1.27, 2.74). Primary Sjögren’s syndrome also
significantly increased the thyroid carcinoma risk ((OR: 2.37, (95%CI: 1.44,
3.90).

Sjögren’s syndrome increased the thyroid carcinoma risk, and female gender,
fifth decade of life, European race, and involvement duration of more than 5
years were the exacerbating factors.