Association of Levothyroxine Sodium with Risk of Colon Cancer: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

Lingzi L, Meixuan L, Siyi L, Jingjing L, Kailiang Z and Baoping Z

Department (Hospital) of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, China
Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, Lanzhou University, China
Department of Geriatric Gastroenterology, General Hospital Southern Theatre Command Peoples Liberat, China

^*Correspondance to: Zhang Kailiang 

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Abstract:

Objective: Inconsistent findings have been reported in observational studies regarding the association between levothyroxine sodium and the risk of colon cancer. To mitigate potential confounding effects, we employed a Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach. Design: Two-sample mendelian randomization analysis. Methods: Utilizing Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) datasets from the extensive UK Biobank, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis to examine the causal effects of levothyroxine usage on the risk of colon cancer. We employed five different MR methods to investigate causality. The stability, heterogeneity, and pleiotropy of MR results were also evaluated. Results: Our findings indicate a heightened risk of colon cancer in patients with levothyroxine sodium via the IVWFE or Multiplicative Random-Effects IVW (IVWMRE) method. The Odds Ratios (OR) were as follows: OR=1.02, p=0.169 (MR Egger); OR=1.01, p=0.072 (weighted median); OR=1.01, p=0.016 (inverse variance weighted method); OR=1.01, p=0.374 (simple mode); OR=1.01, p=0.135 (weighted mode). These results validate the selected Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) as appropriate genetic instruments, and confirm that the relationships between genetically predicted levothyroxine sodium usage and colon cancer risk were not confounded by potential confounders or mediators. No horizontal pleiotropy was observed in the MR analysis, and the leaveone- out analysis confirmed the stability of our results. Conclusion: In this study, we observed an increased risk of colon cancer associated with levothyroxine use. Future research is necessary to provide more robust evidence assessing the relationship between levothyroxine and the risk of colon cancer.

Keywords:

Levothyroxine; Colon cancer; Mendelian Randomization; Genome-wide association

Cite the Article:

Lingzi L, Meixuan L, Siyi L, Jingjing L, Kailiang Z, Baoping Z. Association of Levothyroxine Sodium with Risk of Colon Cancer: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study. Clin Oncol. 2024;9:2082..