Key clinical point: Patients with breast cancer (BC) were significantly more likely to develop hypothyroidism, especially if they received radiation therapy to the supraclavicular region.
Major finding: BC survivors vs control individuals without BC had a 48% increased risk for hypothyroidism (pooled relative risk [RR] 1.48; 95% CI 1.17-1.87), with the risk being even higher in patients with BC who had received radiation therapy to supraclavicular lymph nodes vs breast and chest wall only (pooled RR 1.69; 95% CI 1.16-2.46).
Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 20 studies including women with BC who had or had not received radiation therapy.
Disclosures: This study was supported by The Independent Research Fund Denmark, Medicine, and the Eva and Henry Frænkels Foundation, Denmark.. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Solmunde E et al. Breast cancer, breast cancer-directed radiation therapy and risk of hypothyroidism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Breast. 2023;68:216-224 (Feb 18). Doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2023.02.008