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2.6 Thyroid cancer [Summary]
Literature survey concerning epidemiology of endocrine
disruptors (except dioxins) and thyroid cancer was performed.
Searching the PubMed database retrieved 6 reports published up
to Dec. 31, 2000, consisting of 1 cohort study, no case-control
study and 3 ecological studies. Since Jan. 1, 2001, 2 cohort
studies on DES were published. No Japanese subject was studied
in these papers. Organochlorine compounds were not dealt with in
them except in one that observed risk increase by chlorophenoxy
pesticides. Diethylstrilbestrol was not shown to increase the
risk significantly in prospective studies. Other endocrine
disruptors were not mentioned in this topic. Thyroid cancer is
thus scarcely studied in relation to organochlorine compounds
and need more detailed studies.
[Purpose]
Some organochlorine compounds act as agonists or antagonists to
hormone receptors. The relationship of exposure to these
compounds with endocrine-related cancer has been attracted
attention. In fact, those compounds include dioxins or PCBs
which are known to cause thyroid tumor in experimental animals.
Literature was surveyed in order to summarize the present status
of epidemiologic research on the relationship of chemical
substances and thyroid cancer.
[Method]
The PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi)
provided by National Library of Medicine was searched with a
strategy "(Thyroid) AND (Insecticides OR Pesticides OR
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons OR PCBs OR Bisphenol OR Phenol OR
Phthalate OR Styrene OR Furan OR Organotin OR Diethylstilbestrol
OR Ethinyl Estradiol) AND (human)" for a period up to Oct. 31,
2004. From among 610 citations retrieved, original papers
reporting epidemiologic studies on human populations were
selected, and, as necessary, other articles cited in these
papers or reviews were added. |
