Potential role of iodine excess in papillary thyroid cancer and benign thyroid tumor: A case-control study

Background and Objectives: The relationship between nutritional status of iodine and thyroid tumor is unclear. We investigated the association between urinary iodine concentration and thyroid function in patients with papillary thyroid cancer, benign thyroid tumor and healthy individuals. Methods and Study Design: We compared the biomarkers of thyroid function and urinary iodine concentration within and between each group. A regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for papillary thyroid cancer. Correlation analysis was performed to determine whether any significant correlation exists between urinary iodine concentration and thyroid function biomarkers. Results: The iodine nutrition statuses of these three groups were adequate (median urinary iodine concentration= 100-199 mug/L). However, the median urinary iodine concentration of papillary thyroid cancer (174.7 mug/L) and benign thyroid tumor (165.04 mug/L) groups was significantly higher than that of the healthy control group (135.8 mug/L) (p