Research Plus

Nightwork link to ovarian cancer, but no dose effect

This US study found a slightly raised risk of ovarian cancer associated with nightwork and investigated the impact of ‘chronotype’ (whether the subjects preferred being active in the morning or evening) on cancer risk. A total of 1,490 women diagnosed with a primary invasive (n = 1,101) or borderline (n = 389) epithelial ovarian tumour were included, alongside 1,832 controls drawn from the local population. Ever working nights was associated with a higher risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (odds ratio = 1.24; 95% CI 1.04–1.49) and of borderline epithelial ovarian tumour (OR = 1.48; CI 1.15–1.90) but there was no significant dose–response relationship.

 

Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2013; online first: doi: 10.1136/oemed-2012-101146. http://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2013/01/22/oemed-2012-101146.abstract

Tags cancer evidence based practice night work

Occupational Health at Work April/May 2013 (vol. 09/6) pp17