History of thyroid disease and survival of ovarian cancer patients: results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, a brief report

Background: Findings from in vitro studies suggest that increased exposure to thyroid hormones can influence progression of ovarian tumours. However, epidemiologic evidence on this topic is limited. Methods: We pooled data from 11 studies from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated associations between hyper- and hypothyroidism and medications prescribed for these conditions with 5-year all-cause survival among women diagnosed with invasive ovarian cancer. Results: Overall, there was a nonsignificant association with history of hyperthyroidism ( n =160 cases) and mortality (HR=1.22; 95% CI=0.97–1.53). Furthermore, diagnosis of hyperthyroidism within the 5 years before ovarian cancer diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of death (HR=1.94; 95% CI=1.19–3.18). A more modest association was observed with history of hypothyroidism ( n =624 cases) and mortality (HR=1.16; 95% CI=1.03–1.31). Neither duration of hypothyroidism nor use of thyroid medications was associated with survival. Conclusions: In this large study of women with ovarian cancer, we found that recent history of hyperthyroidism and overall history of hypothyroidism were associated with worse 5-year survival.