RESUMO
Childhood radioactive iodine exposure from the Chornobyl accident increased papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) risk. While cervical lymph node metastases (cLNM) are well-recognized in pediatric PTC, the PTC metastatic process and potential radiation association are poorly understood. Here, we analyze cLNM occurrence among 428 PTC with genomic landscape analyses and known drivers (131I-exposed = 349, unexposed = 79; mean age = 27.9 years). We show that cLNM are more frequent in PTC with fusion (55%) versus mutation (30%) drivers, although the proportion varies by specific driver gene (RET-fusion = 71%, BRAF-mutation = 38%, RAS-mutation = 5%). cLNM frequency is not associated with other characteristics, including radiation dose. cLNM molecular profiling (N = 47) demonstrates 100% driver concordance with matched primary PTCs and highly concordant mutational spectra. Transcriptome analysis reveals 17 differentially expressed genes, particularly in the HOXC cluster and BRINP3; the strongest differentially expressed microRNA also is near HOXC10. Our findings underscore the critical role of driver alterations and provide promising candidates for elucidating the biological underpinnings of PTC cLNM.
Assuntos
Acidente Nuclear de Chernobyl , Radioisótopos do Iodo , Metástase Linfática , Mutação , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide , Humanos , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide/genética , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide/patologia , Metástase Linfática/genética , Masculino , Adulto , Feminino , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/genética , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/patologia , Adolescente , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas B-raf/genética , Adulto Jovem , Linfonodos/patologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-ret/genética , Criança , Genômica , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/genética , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , MicroRNAs/genética , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Neoplasias Induzidas por Radiação/genética , Neoplasias Induzidas por Radiação/patologia , Pescoço/patologia , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão GênicaRESUMO
Background: Although childhood exposure to radioactive iodine-131 (I-131) is an established risk factor for thyroid cancer, evidence for an association with thyroid nodules is less clear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between childhood I-131 exposure and prevalence of ultrasound-detected thyroid nodules overall and by nodule histology/cytology (neoplastic/suspicious/non-neoplastic), size (<10 mm/≥10 mm), and number (single/multiple). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of radiation dose (mean = 0.53 gray, range: 0.0003-31 gray) and screen-detected thyroid nodules conducted in 1998-2000 (median population age 21.5 years) in a cohort of 13,243 residents of Ukraine who were under 18 years at the time of the Chornobyl accident on April 26, 1986. Excess odds ratios per gray (excess odds ratio [EOR]/Gy) and confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. Results: Among 13,078 eligible individuals, we identified 358 (2.7%) with at least one thyroid nodule. Significantly increased dose-response associations were found for all nodules and nodule groups with doses <5 Gy except individuals with non-neoplastic nodules. Among individuals with doses <5 Gy, the EOR/Gy for neoplastic nodules (5.35; CI: 2.19-15.5) was significantly higher than for non-neoplastic nodules (0.24; CI: 0.07-0.74), but the EOR/Gy did not vary by nodule size or number. Conclusions: Childhood exposure to I-131 is associated with an increased risk of thyroid nodules detected 12-14 years following exposure, and the risk for neoplastic nodules is higher than for non-neoplastic nodules. Analyses of incident thyroid nodules may help clarify dose-response patterns by nodule characteristics and provide insights into thyroid nodule etiology.