Thyroid cancer (TC), the most common malignancy of the endocrine system, is currently the fifth most common malignancy diagnosed in women (1). The incidence of TC in the United States has increased by an average of 3% per year over the past 4 decades. According to the China National Cancer Registry data in 2015 (3), there were estimated 90,000 new TC cases in China, and its incidence has risen sharply. Much progress has been made in exploring the etiology and pathogenesis of thyroid cancer, while the exact etiology remains unknown, TC is thought to arise from interactions between genetic susceptibility factors, epigenetic effects, and various environmental factors. Besides the improvement of diagnosis, TC increasing incidence emphasize that other important factors such as the environment play an important role in disease pathogenesis. While microbiota as an environment factor to some cancers accept widespread attention, if microbiota also as a risk factor for TC, it is worthy to be considered.
Thyroid cancer (TC), the most common malignancy of the endocrine system, is currently the fifth most common malignancy diagnosed in women (1). The incidence of TC in the United States has increased by an average of 3% per year over the past 4 decades. Much progress has been made in exploring the etiology and pathogenesis of thyroid cancer, while the exact etiology remains unknown, TC is thought to arise from interactions between genetic susceptibility factors, epigenetic effects, and various environmental factors. Besides the improvement of diagnosis, TC increasing incidence emphasize that other important factors such as the environment play an important role in disease pathogenesis. While microbiota as an environment factor to some cancers accept widespread attention, if microbiota also as a risk factor for TC, it is worthy to be considered.