Unraveling the connection and pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus and thyroid cancer: integrative meta-analysis, Mendelian randomization, and transcriptomic insights.

[OBJECTIVE] To investigate the association and shared pathogenic mechanisms between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and thyroid cancer (TC) using an integrative multi-omics framework.

[METHODS] A meta-analysis was performed to quantify the incidence of TC in SLE patients. Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was applied to infer causality. Transcriptomic datasets were analyzed to identify an SLE-associated gene signature (SLEscore) and assess its prognostic value in TC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to validate protein expression of SLEscore genes in thyroid tissues from TC patients with and without SLE.

[RESULTS] A meta-analysis demonstrated a significantly increased standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of TC in SLE patients (SIR = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.35-2.04). MR analysis revealed a unidirectional causal effect of SLE on TC in European populations (OR = 1.291; 95% CI: 1.014-1.642; P = 0.037), but no significant association in East Asian cohorts. The SLEscore, comprising four downregulated genes (IFITM1, RAP1GAP, MT1A, ALAS2), effectively stratified TC patients into high- and low-risk groups with distinct survival outcomes. These subgroups showed significant differences in pathway activation, immune cell infiltration, immune gene expression, tumor mutational burden, somatic mutation profiles, and predicted drug sensitivity (all P < 0.05). IHC confirmed lower protein levels of all four genes in SLE-TC tumor tissues, consistent with transcriptomic findings.

[CONCLUSION] This multi-omics analysis supports a causal link between SLE and TC in European populations and identifies the SLEscore as a potential prognostic biomarker, offering new opportunities for precision risk assessment and targeted management in SLE-associated TC.