Thyroid nodules as predictors of adenomatous colonic polyps: A systematic review and meta-analysis

doi:10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112241

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World Journal of Clinical Cases

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Meta-Analysis

World J Clin Cases. Nov 26, 2025; 13(33): 112241
Published online Nov 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112241

Thyroid nodules as predictors of adenomatous colonic polyps: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Hyder Osman Mirghani, Salah Alghamdi

Hyder Osman Mirghani, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia

Salah Alghamdi, Department of Surgery, University of Tabuk, Tabuk PO Box 3378 Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia

Author contributions: Mirghani HO performed the conception and design of the study, the literature search, the drafting, critical revision, and provided the final approval of the version to be published; Salah A contributed to the literature search, drafting, revision, and approval before submission.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Check-list.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Hyder Osman Mirghani, MD, Full Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tabuk, Prince Fahd Bin Sulta, Tabuk 51941, Saudi Arabia. s.hyder63@hotmail.com

Received: July 22, 2025
Revised: July 25, 2025
Accepted: October 21, 2025
Published online: November 26, 2025
Processing time: 122 Days and 17 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Thyroid nodules (TN) are increasingly diagnosed worldwide; investigating the association between TN and colon polyps could be helpful in early detection and management. To our knowledge no meta-analysis has assessed the relationship between TN and adenomatous colonic polyps.

AIM

To assess the association between adenomatous colonic polyps, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and TN.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, and the first 100 articles in Google for articles published in English from inception until April 2025. We included prospective cohorts, retrospective studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies. The keywords thyroid nodules, adenomatous colon polyps, thyroid volume, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and thyroid malignancy were used.

RESULTS

Out of 237 articles, 25 full texts were reviewed, and 5 full texts were included in the final meta-analysis. No relationship was found between TN, colonic polyps, and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels [odd ratio (OR): 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-5.74, P = 0.33]. Colonic polyps were more common among patients with TN when addressing heterogeneity (OR: 0.42, 95%CI: 0.30-0.52, P < 0.001 and OR: 0.08, 95%CI: 0.70-0.86, P = 0.85).

CONCLUSION

TN were similar among patients with and without adenomatous colonic polyps. However, TN was more common among colon polyps when addressing the heterogeneity. Thyroid-stimulating hormone was not different between those with and without TN. Age, sex, adiposity, and smoking effects might explain the higher rate observed by the included studies. Further studies controlling for the same are needed.

Keywords: Adenomatous colonic polyps; Thyroid stimulating hormone; Thyroid nodule; Predictors; Risk factors

Core Tip: Thyroid polyps are common among the middle age group, and colonoscopy is indicated in individuals older than 50 years. However, it is invasive, making easy reliable methods for risk stratification for colonic polyps screening important. The few studies that assessed the association of thyroid nodules and colon polyps showed contradicting results. The current meta-analysis contributed significantly to the field because it is the first meta-analysis to find an association. Our research challenges the current colonic polyp screening guidelines because physicians might need to include thyroid nodules as a risk factor for colonic polyps.