title: Thyroid cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Considering inconclusive and heterogenous results, the aim of this study was to investigate the risk of thyroid cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by a quantitatively systematic review with meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic database of PubMed was searched for studies characterizing the associated risk of thyroid cancer in patients with SLE. The meta-analysis procedure was used to combine standardized incidence rates (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the association.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven cohort studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were subjected to the final analysis in the meta-analysis. Homogeneity was confirmed across the included studies. The pooled SIR based on a fixed-effect model was 2.22, with a 95% CI of 2.11-2.34. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the summary statistics obtained should approximate the actual average.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings from this meta-analysis revealed the positive association between thyroid cancer and SLE risk. Individuals with SLE have a heightened risk of developing thyroid cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Guo-Sheng
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jin-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University Hefei 230001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Pei
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Meta-analysis; standardized incidence ratio; systemic lupus erythematosus; thyroid cancer