Working the night shift may increase cancer risk for women

Women who pull the night shift regularly might be at greater risk for a number of cancers, new research suggested. Quoting study author Xuelei Ma, an oncologist in the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center at West China Medical Center of Sichuan University, China, UPI wrote, “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.”

For the new study, the researchers conducted a review of 61 studies involving almost four million people from North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, to look for an association between long-term nightshift work and the risk of 11 types of cancer.

The investigators found that working during the wee hours over the long term was associated with a 19 percent greater risk of cancer among women.

Looking at specific types of cancer, Ma and colleagues found the risk of skin cancer jumped 41 percent, the risk of breast cancer increased 32 percent and the odds of developing gastrointestinal cancer was 18 percent higher among women who were long-term night-shift workers.