Thyroid cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta analysis.

Objective: Considering inconclusive and heterogenous results, the aim of this study was to investigate the risk of thyroid cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by a quantitatively systematic review with meta-analysis.

Methods: Electronic database of PubMed was searched for studies characterizing the associated risk of thyroid cancer in patients with SLE. The meta-analysis procedure was used to combine standardized incidence rates (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the association.

Results: Seven cohort studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were subjected to the final analysis in the meta-analysis. Homogeneity was confirmed across the included studies. The pooled SIR based on a fixed-effect model was 2.22, with a 95% CI of 2.11-2.34. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the summary statistics obtained should approximate the actual average.

Conclusion: Findings from this meta-analysis revealed the positive association between thyroid cancer and SLE risk. Individuals with SLE have a heightened risk of developing thyroid cancer.