SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1602844
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of New Vitamin D Guidelines on Pediatric and Adult Health: Insights, Evidence, and ImplicationsView all 4 articles
Association Between Vitamin D Serum Levels and Thyroid cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Endocrinology ，The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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Background：Thyroid cancer(TC) has shown a rising prevalence worldwide. While numerous studies have explored the relationship between vitamin D levels and TC risk, Their conclusions remain inconsistent. Objective: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the association between serum vitamin D levels, vitamin D deficiency, and TC based on existing evidence. Methods: We systematically searched the Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed databases for human studies investigating the relationship between vitamin D and TC including a control group. A random-effects model with forest plots was employed to calculate the mean difference (MD) in serum vitamin D levels, the odds ratio (OR) for vitamin D deficiency, and the risk difference (RD) between TC cases and controls. Meta-regressions and subgroup analyses were conducted based on the season of serum 25(OH)D sampling, source of controls, timing of measurement, study type and testing methods of 25(OH)D. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 23 studies were included. The meta-analysis revealed that TC patients had significantly lower serum vitamin D compared to controls [SMD = -0.38 (95% CI: -0.62 to -0.14)].Additionally,vitamin D Deficiency was significantly more prevalent among TC patients (OR = 1.33, 95% CI:1.02 to 1.73, P < 0.05).Subgroup analyses demonstrated significant differences across most subgroups, except for post-operative measurements. Seasonal variation in 25(OH)D sampling was identified as a key source of heterogeneity. Conclusions: The meta-analysis suggests that lower serum vitamin D levels and vitamin D deficiency are significantly associated with an increased risk of TC. However,further studies with standardized protocols for seasonal sampling of vitamin D,source of control, measurement timing,study type and testing methods of 25(OH)D are needed to to clarify this relationship and its underlying mechanisms.
Keywords: Vitamin D level, Vitamin D Deficiency, thyroid cancer, metaanalysis, Subgroup analyses
Received: 30 Mar 2025; Accepted: 30 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Yun and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Peng Yun, Department of Endocrinology ，The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
Fangping Li, Department of Endocrinology ，The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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