{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T10:58:18Z","timestamp":1790765898957,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Radioiodine (RAI) is a cornerstone of treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), yet the immunological consequences of RAI-induced DNA damage remain poorly understood. Here, we examine cGAS\u2013STING signaling as a potential mechanistic link between RAI-induced genotoxic stress and antitumor immunity. RAI delivers prolonged, thyroid-selective radiation to iodine-avid tumors, providing a plausible source of extranuclear DNA capable of engaging innate DNA sensing. We propose that transient RAI-associated cGAS\u2013STING activation in DTC may favor IRF3\u2013type I interferon-dependent immune priming, whereas persistent genomic stress in RAI-refractory anaplastic and poorly differentiated thyroid cancers (ATC\/PDTC) may shift pathway output toward NF-\u03baB-dominated, myeloid-suppressive programs. This acute-versus-chronic framework suggests that cGAS\u2013STING dynamics could help define a therapeutic window for sequencing RAI with immune checkpoint blockade, while controlled STING activation may provide an alternative strategy for iodine-refractory disease. Direct evidence for RAI-induced cGAS\u2013STING activation in thyroid tumors remains lacking, highlighting the need to define pathway kinetics across thyroid cancer subtypes and determine whether thyroid-specific endocrine signaling, including TSH\u2013TSHR signaling, further modulates innate DNA sensing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1985864","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T10:08:52Z","timestamp":1790762932000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Radioiodine-induced cGAS-STING signaling and antitumor immunity in thyroid cancer"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Feng","family":"Gao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Changchun, 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