{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T04:55:41Z","timestamp":1781758541237,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781740800000},"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. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The global incidence of thyroid tumors has been on a steady increase. Although it is hypothesized that environmental exposures, especially to metallic elements, have an etiological role, their specific associations with the risk of thyroid disease, potential interactions with dietary habits, and connections to molecular characteristics such as the BRAF V600E mutation are still inadequately characterized. The objective of this study was to investigate plasma metal levels, their association with diet, and potential links to molecular features in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This hospital-based case-control study recruited 1, 046 patients with pathologically confirmed thyroid diseases (including papillary thyroid carcinoma and nodular goiter) and 854 healthy controls from Hanzhong, China. The concentrations of 18 metallic elements in plasma\/serum were quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The BRAF V600E mutation status was determined in a subset of papillary carcinoma cases.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Patients with thyroid disease showed significantly altered plasma elemental profiles compared to healthy controls. Dietary habits had a significant influence on elemental concentrations; for example, the consumption of Youtiao (fried dough) was associated with a value 153% above the upper limit of the normal reference range. Moreover, specific alterations in elemental profiles were significantly correlated with abnormal thyroid hormone levels. Among the PTC cases, the BRAF V600E mutation (identified in 51%) showed a non-significant tendency towards an association with higher systemic levels of mercury and cadmium.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study reveals distinct alterations in the plasma metallic element profiles of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), which are significantly influenced by dietary habits. Our findings provide new perspectives on the intricate interaction between lifestyle factors and the molecular pathogenesis of thyroid tumors, emphasizing potential directions for prevention and future research.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1840392","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T04:39:45Z","timestamp":1781757585000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exposure to multiple metallic elements and risk of thyroid tumors: insights from elemental profiling, diet, and molecular characteristics plasma levels of metallic elements"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Chao","family":"Zhai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, 3201 Hospital of Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University Health Science Center","place":["Han-Zhong, Shaanxi, 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