Breast cancer risk through night work

Night shifts increase the risk of breast cancer

06/20/2012

Night work apparently promotes the development of breast cancer. French scientists led by Pascal Guénel from the University of Paris have investigated the relationship between working in night shifts and the likelihood of breast cancer in a comprehensive study.

The researchers found that night work in women increases the risk of breast cancer by 30 percent if they have worked for more than four years in their lives in alternating day and night shifts. „Our findings support the hypothesis that night work plays a role in breast cancer, especially in women who started night work before the first full-term pregnancy“, write Pascal Guénel and colleagues in the trade magazine „International Journal of Cancer“.

Breast cancer risk increased by night shifts by up to 50 percent
There has been a general increase in the risk of breast cancer during night work, but it was particularly noticeable in the women who started night work before their first pregnancy, the French scientists at the University of Paris and the Center for Epidemiology and Population Health reported Inserm research Institute. There was also a relationship between the period during which night work was done and the risk of breast cancer. Most notable was the increase in breast cancer risk, at around 50 percent, in women who worked night shifts for more than four years and started before their first pregnancy. Pre-maternal women are particularly susceptible because their mammary glands are not fully mature and therefore prone to malfunction, Pascal Guénel said in the article „Night work and breast cancer: a population-based case-control study in France“.

Carcinogenic rework
The researchers examined according to own data „the role of night work in a large population-based case-control study in France between 2005 and 2008.“ The occupational history was examined with regard to night work in 1,232 breast cancer patients and 1,317 healthy women in the control group. As a result, the researchers found that with the increase in night work, the risk of breast cancer increased significantly. Thus, the French scientists confirmed earlier studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) Cancer Research Center, which concluded back in 2007 that night work was probably carcinogenic. According to the WHO, this is due to the disruption of the natural day-night rhythm caused by night work, as this permanently disturbs the hormone cycle. Pascal Guénel has stated in the current release that reworking is considered to be a major breast cancer risk factor, such as hormone treatment, a late first pregnancy, or a genetic predisposition. (Fp)

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