Table 1.
Overview of included studies.
| Author(year) | Country | Study design | Cases/total (n) | Control group | Casetype | Thyroid-related hormones concentrations* (case/control) | Covariates adjusted in models | Quality score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polyzos (2008) (20) | Greece | Cs | 36/383 | TBP | PTC, FTC | TSH : NA | Gender, solitary nodule, age. | 8 |
| Jonklaas (2008) (21) | USA | Cs | 17/50 | TBP | TC | TSH:1.50 ± 0.59/1.01 ± 0.51 FT4:1.04 ± 0.17/1.06 ± 0.19 |
NA | 7 |
| Haymart (2008) (22) | UK | Cs | 212/735 | TBP | DTC | TSH:2.5 ± 0.3/1.6 ± 0.1 | gender, age, nodule size | 9 |
| Fiore(2009) (23) | Italy | Cs | 504/10178 | TBP | PTC | TSH:1.10(0.70-1.70)/0.70(0.30-1.20) FT4:10.9(9.7-12.5)/10.9(9.6-12.4) FT3:3.6(3.1-3.9)/3.6(3.1-4.0) |
NA | 7 |
| Gul (2010) (24) | Turkey | Cs | 166/441 | TBP | TC | TSH:1.66 ± 0.96/1.09 ± 0.73 FT3:3.32 ± 0.60/3.53 ± 0.68 FT4:1.29 ± 0.24/1.34 ± 0.21 |
Sex, age, nodule type | 8 |
| Fiore(2010) (25) | Italy | Cs | 1275/27914 | TBP | PTC | TSH : NA | NA | 8 |
| Kim(2010) (26) | Korea | Cs | 296/1638 | TBP | TC | TSH:2.5 ± 2.8/2.1 ± 2.0 | Age sex size, non-solitary nodule, thyroglobulin antibody postive | 8 |
| Dorange(2011) (27) | France | Cs | 47/94 | TBP | DTC | TSH:1.55 ± 0.90/0.96 ± 0.52 | nodule size, ultrasound features suggestive of malignancy |
9 |
| Shi (2012) (28) | CHINA | Cs | 269/1870 | TBP | DTC | TSH:1.57(0.91-2.39)/1.08(0.62-1.77) | Gender, age, solitary nodule, Microcalcification, Hypoechogenicity | 5 |
| Zafon(2012) (29) | Spain | Cs | 76/386 | TBP | PTC,FTC | TSH:1.8 ± 0.8/1.47 ± 0.8 | NA | 6 |
| Moon (2012) (30) | Korea | Cs | 42/483 | TBP | TC | TSH: 2.20 ± 0.15/1.87 ± 0.05 FT4: 1.26 ± 0.04/1.25 ± 0.01 |
Gender, age, solitary nodule, size of nodule | 9 |
| Lee (2012) (31) | Korea | Cs | 35/164 | TBP | PTC,FTC | TSH:1.2 ± 1.1(MIFTC);1.5 ± 0.7(WIFTC);2.4 ± 1.5(Follicular variant PTC); 1.6 ± 1.3(PTC)/1.6 ± 1.2 | Age, gender, nodule size, hashimoto’s thyroiditis, irregular margin, calcification, hypoechogenicity, hypoechoic rim | 7 |
| Kim (2013) (32) | Korea | Cs | 1759/3307 | HC | DTC | TSH:1.95 ± 0.9/1.62 ± 0.8 | age, sex, and the family history of thyroid cancer | 9 |
| Lun (2013) (33) | China | Cc | 676/2478 | TBP | PTC | TSH:2.02 ± 1.76/1.46 ± 1.21 FT3:4.28 ± 0.62/4.37 ± 0.61 a FT4:13.71 ± 2.09/13.74 ± 2.01 a |
HT, sex, age, TGAB, and TPOAB | 9 |
| Rinaldi (2014) (8) | France | Ncc | 356/1120 | HC | Non-rare TC | TSH: 1.15(0.67-1.83)/1.30(0.78-2.00)(W) 0.85(0.56-1.39)/1.19(0.81-1.64)(M) FT3: 3.95(3.55-4.47)/3.93(3.43-4.43)(W) 4.79(4.29-5.13)/4.72(4.32-5.11)(M) FT4: 14.82(13.46-16.26)/14.89(13.61-16.47) (W) 15.94(14.07-17.74)/15.52(14.33-17.19) (M) |
on EPIC recruitment center; sex; age; date and time of the day at blood donation; fasting status;women menopausal status, sex hormone use, and phase of menstrual cycle among premenopausal women, height and weight |
8 |
| Wu (2014) (34) | China | Cs | 537/2132 | TBP | PTC | TSH:1.83 ± 0.07/1.39 ± 0.03 FT3:4.38 ± 0.04/4.48 ± 0.02 a FT4:13.92 ± 0.11/13.96 ± 0.03 a |
Age, gender, TgAb ± TN, TPOAb± TN, Tab ± TN | 7 |
| Cho (2014) (35) | Korea | Ncc | 257/514 | HC | TC | TSH: <1.36: 84(33.1)/59(23.2) 1.36-<2.5: 86(33.9)/111(43.7) ≥2.5: 84(33.1)/84(33.1) FT4: <1.25: 85(33.1)/68(26.5) 1.25-<1.39: 85(33.1)/75(29.2) ≥1.39: 87(33.9)/114(44.4) |
age, sex, BMI, and smoking | 9 |
| Sohn (2014) (36) | Korea | Cs | 2881/ 3791 |
TBP | PTC | TSH: 2.31 ± 0.05/1.66 ± 0.05 | Gender, increasing age, solitary nodule, presence of hashimoto’s thyroiditis | 7 |
| Wang (2014) (37) | China | Cc | 103/409 | HC | TC | TSH:2.69 ± 0.86/2.28 ± 0.74 FT4:16.99 ± 2.72/17.1 ± 3.21 FT3: 4.08 ± 1.23/4.20 ± 1.02 |
TgAb, TPOAb, calcification type, patient age and sex, and urine iodine and thyroid nodule size | 7 |
| Qin (2015) (38) | China | Cs | 237/1638 | TBP | DTC | TSH:1.53(0.88-2.42)/1.05(0.64-1.78) | Age, sex, solitary nodule, size, TgAb ≥ 40 IU/mL, TPOAb ≥ 50 IU/mL | 7 |
| Hwang (2015) (39) | Korea | Cs | 100/214 | TBP | PTC | TSH:1.89 ± 1.31/5.5 ± 10.5(FLT),1.8 ± 1.3(AH) FT4:1.55 ± 1.44/1.3 ± 1.1(FLT),1.4 ± 1.3(AH) |
Tg-Ab, TPO-Ab, taller than wider, absence of calcification, presence of DTD pattern | 7 |
| Hwang(2016) (40) | Korea | Cs | 579/1254 | TBP | TC | TSH:1.6 ± 0.9/1.7 ± 0.9 | Age, gender, family history, C-statistics | 7 |
| Baser (2016) (41) | Turkey | Cs | 585/1433 | TBP | TC | TSH:1.46(0.40-4.04)/1.12(0.40-4.04) FT3:3.20(1.63-4.77)/(3.28(1.57-4.77) FT4:1.17(0.81-1.78)/1.16(0.85-1.78) |
Nodule size, Anti- TPOAb positivity, Anti-TgAb positivity, Presence of HT | 8 |
| Huang (2017) (7) | US | Ncc | 741/741 | HC | TC | TSH: NA FT4: NA |
BMI and branch of military service | 9 |
| Zeng (2018) (42) | China | Cs | 129/258 | TBP | PTC | TSH: <0.3: 6(5.3)/7(6.3) 0.3-5.5: 89(78.1)/98(87.5) >5.5: 19(16.7)/7(6.3) |
NA | 8 |
| Swan (2018) (43) | Denmark | Cc | 265/998 | TBP | DTC | TSH: 1.3 (0.9–1.9)/0.9 (0.6–1.5) | Age, sex, Scintigraphy: cold nodule, Morphology on US | 8 |
| Zhao (2018) (44) | China | Cs | 1120/2041 | TBP | PTC | TSH:1.547(1.114-2.289)/1.518(0.994-2.113)(M) 1.791(1.085-2.609)/1.596(0.979-2.359)(W) FT3:4.7(4.3-5.1)/4.6(4.3-5.0)(M) 4.3(4.0-4.7)/4.4(4.1-4.8)(W) FT4: 14.1(12.9-15.4)/14.3(12.9-15.1)(M) 14.2(13.1-15.4)/14.3(13.1-15.8)(W) |
age, TPOAb, TGAb, UIC, nodule size and number | 8 |
| Liu(2018) (45) | China | Cs | 524/2984 | TBP | TC | TSH:1.63(0.89-2.66)/1.19(0.59-2.10) FT3:4.44(3.96-5.00)/4.43(3.91-5.07) FT4:15.76(13.6-18.0)/14.97(12.84-17.42) |
Age, nodule size, TGAb, TPOAb, irregular margin, solid structure, hypoechogenicity, microcalcification, macrocalcification, central flow | 7 |
| Hu (2019) (46) | China | Cs | 320/329 | HC | PTC | TSH:2.56(2.97)/2.42(2.05) FT3:4.56(0.70)/4.76(0.76)a FT4:17.11(5.34)/16.20(2.66) a |
Sex, age, average annual household income, BMI, physical activity, history of CT scan, diabetes, family history of thyroid diseases, fasting serum glucose, and urinary iodine/creatinine ratio | 9 |
| Guo (2019) (47) | China | Cs | 153/258 | TBP | PTC | TSH:1.82(1.17-2.67)/1.40(0.78-2.09) FT3:4.86 ± 0.71/4.78 ± 0.70 FT4:15.54 ± 2.66/15.39 ± 2.05 |
fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and TPOAb | 7 |
| Adhami (2020) (48) | Australia | Cs | 39/104 | TBP | TC | TSH:1.39 ± 1.38(T) | NA | 8 |
| Rianto (2020) (49) | Indonesia | Cs | 40/80 | TBP | DTC | TSH:1.24 ± 0.71/0.56 ± 0.31 FT4:0.97(0.17)/1.19(0.19) |
NA | 8 |
Cs, cross-sectional study; Cc, case-control study; Ncc, nested case-control study. W, women; M, men; T, total subjects; TBP, Thyroid Benign patients; HC, healthy controls.
*: Thyroid-related hormone concentrations presented as: Median (P25-P75)/ ±s/mean(SD)/mean/n(%);
Unit of TSH: lIU/mL; Unit of FT3: pg/mL; Unit of FT4: ng/dL; a: unit was pmol/L.