On October 16, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) claimed on X that transgender drugs are giving people cancer, referring to transgender minors.We need to stop the radical left and the gender industrial complex from transitioning kids, she wrote. No child should have gender-affirming care forced upon them before theyre even old enough to vote. Related Completely sane Marjorie Taylor Greene says its trans peoples fault that young women are crazy She said that young women are worried that men can replace them. Transgender drugs are giving people cancer. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today We need to stop the radical left and the gender industrial complex from transitioning kids.No child should have gender-affirming care forced upon them before theyre even old enough to vote.Transgender drugs are giving people cancer.https://t.co/nGKGPZSpfD Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) October 16, 2024She linked a Daily Mail article discussing a study that the article claims shows a link between thyroid cancer and feminizing hormone replacement therapy.LGBTQ Nation evaluated whether this claim has any merit. Claim Transgender drugs are giving people cancer. Fact Check LGBTQ Nation rates this claim: Mostly False One study of veterans may indicate a need for future research on the topic, but it didnt come to any conclusions. What did the study find?The Daily Mail article discusses a study from the University of California, Davis, published in the journal Thyroid that analyzes a database of transgender veterans to determine the rate of thyroid cancer among this group.This study was not peer-reviewed, however. Rather, it was a poster shown at the American Thyroid Associations Annual Meeting. Posters are condensed presentations of scientific information shown at meetings or events to give other researchers an idea of the projects that are currently being worked on, but they are still works in progress.This study analyzed a database to determine the rate of thyroid cancer among trans women veterans. The authors admit that the database is likely incomplete due to a number of veterans not reporting themselves as transgender. The authors determined that the rate of thyroid cancer among the trans veterans studied was 0.341% of all transgender female veterans. The authors of the study did not analyze a comparable sample of cisgender female veterans, which could provide evidence about whether trans veterans were more likely to get thyroid cancer because of something connected to the military. Nor did they find that every one of the trans veterans was on feminizing hormone therapy. In fact, only 11 of the 34 individuals with thyroid cancer (out of just under 10,000 trans female veterans) were on hormone replacement therapy. Additionally, the researchers didnt even claim that this relationship is causal. They only suggest that this may be worth investigating as a potential risk factor. Our findings are limited by reliability of objective criteria to include all possible transgender female veterans. Comparison to a cismale veteran cohort, exploration of risk factor exposure, and computation of estrogen areaunderthecurve will be important next analyses. Additionally, further research is needed to ascertain the role and mechanism of estrogen GAHT in the malignant transformation of thyrocytes, they wrote in their papers discussion section.In a press release, the authors expressed caution about over-interpretation. They emphasized that these results are only applicable to trans female veterans. We are being cautious with our findings, but further research is needed to ascertain the role of estrogen genderaffirming hormone therapy and thyroid cancer, said one of the co-authors.Moreover, the study had nothing to do with children, who were the focus of Rep. Greenes statement. What do experts think about the link between hormone replacement therapy and thyroid cancer?LGBTQ Nation reached out to experts for opinions on how best to interpret this study.A representative of the Endocrine Society, the professional medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, said that research has found an increase in thyroid cancer among [cisgender] veterans, suggesting that the lack of a comparison sample in this study may preclude any interpretation of a higher risk among trans women.Liam Hugh Connoly, a Senior Public Information Officer representing the authors of the study and UC-Davis, told LGBTQ Nation: As our press release states, any possible connection between gender-affirming estradiol use and an increased risk of thyroid cancer requires further research. The researchers do not and did not recommend anyone stopping, changing or deferring gender-affirming hormone therapy in response to the study without talking to their doctor. Based on the above evidence, Rep. Greenes claim is Mostly False. While it is true that one study stated that there may be a relationship between hormone replacement therapy and thyroid cancer, both the authors and representatives of the university behind this study do not suggest a conclusive relationship and only state that additional research is needed. In addition to the study containing limitations prohibiting the public from reliably interpreting it, external experts do not suggest that there is evidence of a heightened rate among transgender veterans. There is also no evidence from this study that any other type of cancer is prevalent in transgender female veterans, and the study does not suggest this relationship is seen among children.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.