The Critical Role of Ferroptosis in Thyroid Cancer Development and Potential Therapeutic Implications

Li Yinghao¹Tao Qian²Zhongyu Han³Chuchu Wang⁴Meiqi Zhang⁵Chi Huang²Qingqing Gu²Shuangyan Zhang²Yumeng Lin⁶Jianhua Wang^2*Shouqiang Chen^7*

• ¹Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
• ²Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
• ³Southeast University Zhongda Hospital, Nanjing, China
• ⁴First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
• ⁵Sichuan University West China Hospital Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Chengdu, China
• ⁶Nanjing Tongren Hospital, Nanjing, China
• ⁷Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, China

Thyroid cancer is the most common malignant tumour in the endocrine system, and the global diagnosis rate continues to show a steady upward trend. Although significant progress has been made in surgery, radioactive iodine therapy and Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) inhibition therapy, patients still often face the dilemma of tumour recurrence or gradual reduction in efficacy, which makes long-term disease management still challenging. Ferroptosis, as an iron-dependent method of programmed death of cells, has become the core focus of current research. This distinct lethal mechanism is driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. In thyroid cancer research, ferroptosis shows important research value and potential therapeutic significance. This article sorts out the role of ferroptosis in the development and immune regulation of thyroid cancer, explores the mutual influence between it and the environment around the tumour, and focusses on analysing its possible application value in disease diagnosis, prognosis and new treatment development. In general, ferroptosis provides a new research direction for understanding thyroid cancer, and may also open up a new path for clinical treatment. However, at present, most of the relevant evidence comes from basic experiments and animal models. It is still necessary to further study its specific mechanism of action in human body and verify the possibility of its clinical application.