# The Effect of WTC Exposure on Thyroid Cancer in the Survivor Population

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $499,982

## Abstract

Project Summary
The reported two-fold excess risk of thyroid cancer in multiple World Trade Center (WTC) cohorts
is not solely explained by overdiagnosis due to surveillance or physician bias. Endocrine
disruptors (EDs), known to disrupt thyroid function and associated with thyroid carcinogenesis
and cancer aggressiveness, have been found in WC dust samples. WTC dust-associated EDs’
exposure may potentially be associated with thyroid carcinogenesis and thyroid cancer
aggressiveness via multiple pathways, in particular in children and adolescents exposed to the
WTC dust during these critical developmental windows.
Thyroid cancer in the WTC survivors’ population is largely unstudied and no study to date has
investigated the potential impact of early life exposure to the WTC dust cloud on thyroid
carcinogenesis and cancer aggressiveness. Using the WTC Environmental Health Center
survivor population, including individuals who were <18 years at the time of WTC exposure, we
aim to investigate the clinical, mutational, pathological, and inflammatory thyroid cancer profiles,
hypothesizing that (early life) WTC exposure is associated with more aggressive thyroid cancer.
First, we will perform an in-depth assessment comparing the clinical and mutational
characteristics of WTC thyroid cancer to non-exposed controls (aim 1). Additionally, we will
compare WTC thyroid cancer cases in the survivor population with unexposed control cancer
cases to investigate the pathological features using computational modelling approaches (aim 2)
and the gene expression profiles using Spatial Gene Expression (aim 3). We will perform a
subgroup analysis of the individuals < 18 years at the time of WTC exposure.
This study would be the first in-depth study to investigate thyroid cancer in the WTC survivor
population, including an assessment of thyroid cancer in patients exposed as children or
adolescents, integreting novel techniques including computational pathology modelling and
Spatial Gene Expression. The proposed methods can easily be transposed to other solid cancers
with increased risk in the WTC survivor population and to other environmentally exposed
populations with increased cancer risk. Furthermore, identifying phenotypes and biomarkers
associated with increased risk of more aggressive thyroid cancer will help identify patients
needing more aggressive thyroid cancer screening and management and may lead to more
effective health care delivery for this population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10903700
- **Project number:** 5U01OH012621-02
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Maaike van Gerwen
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $499,982
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10903700

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10903700, The Effect of WTC Exposure on Thyroid Cancer in the Survivor Population (5U01OH012621-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10903700. Licensed CC0.

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