Cancer higher in women working night shifts

A research from China warns women who work the night shift have a 19 % increased risk of developing cancer compared to women do not work at night.

Researchers said that there even greater risk of skin cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer.

It was found that women who engaged in long-term night shift work had a 41 % greater risk of skin cancer, a 32 % greater risk of breast cancer, and an 18 % increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer.

Analysis of female nurses alone, the researchers found that long-term night shift work was linked to a 58 % greater risk of breast cancer, a 35 % increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer, and a 28 % greater lung cancer risk.

Nearly 15 million people in the United States have irregular working patterns, including night shifts.

Shift work has been linked to a wealth of poor health outcomes, including obesity, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

Discussing the possible reasons for the increased cancer risk among female nurses, Ma speculates that these women may have been more likely to undergo cancer screening due to their profession.

‘Another possible explanation for the increased cancer risk in this population may relate to the job requirements of night shift nursing, such as more intensive shifts,’ adds Ma.

Overall, the scientists say that their findings indicate that more needs to be done to protect the health of female shift workers, particularly those who engage in such shifts for many years.

‘Our study indicates that night shift work serves as a risk factor for common cancers in women. These results might help establish and implement effective measures to protect female night shifters. Long-term night shift workers should have regular physical examinations and cancer screenings,’ said, Xuelei Ma, Ph.D. of the West China Medical Center at Sichuan University in China.

Ma and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.