Rotating Night-Shift Work and the Risk of Breast Cancer in the Nurses' Health Studies

TLDR

Shift work involving circadian disruption was classified as a probable carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2007, yet human evidence remains limited and further studies are needed to clarify its impact on breast cancer risk. The study aimed to assess the association between rotating night‑shift work and breast cancer risk using data from the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II. The authors analyzed 9,541 incident invasive breast cancers over 24 years of follow‑up in 78,516 women from the Nurses' Health Study and 114,559 women from Nurses' Health Study II. Long‑term rotating night‑shift work was not associated with increased breast cancer risk in the older cohort, but women who worked shifts for 20 years or more during young adulthood had a significantly higher risk, indicating that early‑adult exposure elevates breast cancer risk.

Abstract

In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared shift work that involved circadian disruption to be a “probable” carcinogen (group 2A), noting that human evidence was limited. Using data from 2 prospective cohort studies, the Nurses' Health Study (1988–2012; n = 78,516) and Nurses' Health Study II (1989–2013; n = 114,559), we examined associations between rotating night-shift work and breast cancer risk. In the 2 cohorts, there were a total of 9,541 incident invasive breast malignancies and 24 years of follow-up. In the Nurses' Health Study, women with 30 years or more of shift work did not have a higher risk of breast cancer (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.77, 1.17; P for trend = 0.63) compared with those who never did shift work, although follow-up occurred primarily after retirement from shift work. Among participants in the Nurses' Health Study II, who were younger than participants in the other cohort, the risk of breast cancer was significantly higher in women with 20 years or more of shift work at baseline, reflecting young-adult exposure (HR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.73; P for trend = 0.23), and was marginally significantly higher for women with 20 years or more of cumulative shift work when we used updated exposure information (HR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.97; P for trend = 0.74). In conclusion, long-term rotating night-shift work was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, particularly among women who performed shift work during young adulthood. Further studies should explore the role of shift work timing on breast cancer risk.