Genetic susceptibility to radiation-related differentiated thyroid cancers: a systematic review of literature

The first study establishing exposure to ionizing radiations (IRs) as a risk factor for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) was published 70 years ago. Given that radiation exposure causes direct DNA damage, genetic alterations in the different DNA repair mechanisms are assumed to play an important role in long-term IR-induced DNA damage prevention. Individual variations in DNA repair capacity may cause different reactions to damage made by IR exposure. The aim of this review is to recapitulate current knowledge about constitutional genetic polymorphisms found to be significantly associated with DTC occurring after IR exposure. Studies were screened online using electronic databases – only fully available articles, and studies performed among irradiated population or taking radiation exposure as adjustment factors and showing significant results are included. Nine articles were identified. Ten variants in/near to genes in six biological pathways, namely thyroid activity regulations, generic transcription, RET signaling, ATM signaling and DNA repair pathways were found to be associated with radiation-related DTC in these studies. Only seven variants were found to be in interaction with IR exposure in DTC risk. Most of these variants are also associated to sporadic DTC and are not specific to IR-related DTC. In the published studies, no data on children treated with radiotherapy is described. In conclusion, more studies carried out on larger cohorts or on case–control studies with well-documented individual radiation dose estimations are needed to get a comprehensive picture of genetic susceptibility factors involved in radiation-related DTC.