{"id":40257,"date":"2025-11-14T00:01:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T05:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=40257"},"modified":"2025-11-14T10:34:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:34:41","slug":"literature-review-finds-heightened-risks-for-thyroid-cancer-in-women-with-pesticide-exposure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2025\/11\/literature-review-finds-heightened-risks-for-thyroid-cancer-in-women-with-pesticide-exposure\/","title":{"rendered":"Literature Review Finds Heightened Risks for Thyroid Cancer in Women with Pesticide Exposure"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, November 14, 2025) A literature review in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety<\/em><\/a> finds a sex-specific relationship between pesticide exposure and thyroid cancer, with heightened risks for women. \u201cThyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies worldwide, yet the association between pesticide exposure and TC has not been systematically summarized,\u201d the authors state. \u201cThis study aimed to elucidate the relationship between pesticide exposure and TC, focusing on insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the U.S., approximately 44,020 new cases and 2,290 deaths are estimated for 2025, according to the American Cancer Society<\/a>, with thyroid cancer as the ninth most common cancer in women. (See research here<\/a>.) TC ranks globally as the tenth most common cancer, representing a worldwide threat to both men and women. (See here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The current study considers scientific literature on thyroid cancer and pesticide exposure by pesticide type to extract data and statistically analyze the link between exposure and risk of TC. The results indicate a positive association between exposure to insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides and thyroid cancer, with the sex-based analysis revealing the risk of TC is higher in females.<\/p>\n

Study Background and Importance<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the researchers write, thyroid cancer \u201cis one of the most common endocrine malignancies worldwide… [and] accounts for 4% of all cancers worldwide, with 60% of cases occurring in Asia, indicating a severe disease burden in developing countries.\u201d The occurrence of TC is linked to obesity<\/a>, excessive iodine intake, exposure to ionizing radiation, and genetic factors, as well as environmental exposure to contaminants such as endocrine-disrupting<\/a> chemicals (EDCs). (See research here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe increased risk of thyroid diseases associated with pesticide exposure might be attributed to the similarity in chemical structure between them and the thyroid hormones,\u201d the authors state. They continue: \u201cThis structural similarity allows pesticides to competitively bind to thyroid hormone transport proteins, disrupting thyroid hormone signaling and transport, leading to thyroid dysfunction. Such dysregulation reduces circulating thyroid hormone levels, potentially resulting in abnormal thyroid cell proliferation and tumor development.\u201d (See studies here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Methodology and Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through the literature review and subsequent data extraction and statistical analysis from 13 recent population-based epidemiological studies, spanning four countries, the researchers find associations between pesticide exposure by type and the incidence of thyroid cancer. As the authors note: \u201cThe results showed that exposure to three different types of pesticides\u2014insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides\u2014was positively associated with the risk of TC. Furthermore, gender differences revealed that women exposed to pesticides had a higher risk of developing TC than men, indicating that pesticide exposure is a risk factor for TC.\u201d<\/p>\n

The meta-analysis of the 13 studies includes seven case-control studies, five cross-sectional studies, and one cohort study of 656,166 participants. The study methodology includes a range of questionnaires, interviews, and biomonitoring of pesticide exposure through serum and urine samples. In analyzing the studies by pesticide type, many overlap for multiple categories. Ten reference insecticides, six reference herbicides, and four reference fungicides, with an additional four studies also examining the association of TC and pesticide exposure from the sex perspective.<\/p>\n

All of the studies included in the literature review show a statistically significant positive association between pesticide exposure by type to thyroid cancer, with the four sex-specific studies also showing that pesticide exposure, particularly for insecticides and fungicides, in females is positively associated with TC.<\/p>\n

The authors conclude: \u201cIn summary, pesticide exposure may cause female estrogen secretion to be higher than that of men, resulting in excessive estrogen. Further binding to the Er\u03b1 receptor [estrogen receptor alpha] further promotes the development of thyroid cancer, which leads to gender differences in TC after pesticide exposure… [T]he possible mechanisms by which pesticide exposure leads to TC include oxidative stress<\/a> activation, abnormal expression of cancer-related genes, induced inflammatory responses, and disruption of the HPT axis secretion<\/a>, leading to thyroid follicular hypertrophy<\/a> and hyperplasia<\/a>, which promote TC development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previous Research<\/strong><\/p>\n

A multitude of studies link pesticides and EDCs to thyroid dysfunction and cancer, as Beyond Pesticides has shared in previous Daily News<\/em> coverage. Last year, a comprehensive literature review in Endocrines<\/em><\/a> amassed hundreds of studies on EDCs that showcase adverse effects on growth, development, reproduction, and metabolism. The authors, a team of scientists and academics from Brazil, shed light on the link between EDC use and thyroid dysfunction, leading to increasingly prevalent illnesses and deadly diseases. (See Daily News<\/em> here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

For more information, see As Thyroid Cancer Cases Rise, Study Finds Pesticides Link<\/a>, More Scientific Evidence that Endocrine-Disrupting Pesticides Disrupt Thyroid Function<\/a>, and Exposure to Certain Pesticides Increase the Risk of Thyroid Cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Within the current literature review, additional research is cited. This includes:<\/p>\n