Associations between psychological distress and thyroid cancer, and the mediating role of lifestyle and metabolism: a cohort study from the UK Biobank

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Psychological distress significantly increases the risk of thyroid cancer, with a hazard ratio of 1.33 (95% CI, 1.09–1.62; P = 0.005).
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The study analyzed 420,187 participants from the UK Biobank with a median follow-up of 12.59 years to assess the relationship between distress and thyroid cancer.
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Mediation analysis identified that BMI, waist circumference, HDL, triglycerides, and alcohol intake partially mediate the link between psychological distress and thyroid cancer.
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Waist circumference was the most significant mediator, accounting for 11.80% of the relationship between psychological distress and thyroid cancer risk.
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The findings suggest that obesity, dyslipidemia, and alcohol use may influence the risk of thyroid cancer in individuals experiencing psychological distress.

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