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Abstract
Due to its disruptive effects on circadian rhythms and sleep deprivation at night, shiftworking is currently recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer (BC). As revealed by the present analysis based on a comparative case-control study of 1679 women, exposure to light-at-night (LAN) in the “sleeping habitat” is significantly associated with BC risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.220, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.118–1.311; p < .001), controlling for education, ethnicity, fertility, and alcohol consumption. The novelty of the present research is that, to the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first study to have identified an unequivocal positive association between bedroom-light intensity and BC risk. Thus, according to the results of the present study, not only should artificial light exposure in the working environment be considered as a potential risk factor for BC, but also LAN in the “sleeping habitat.” (Author correspondence: [email protected])
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to Prof. Gad Rennert of the Carmel Medical Center and Bruce Rappaport, the Faculty of Medicine of Technion, for incorporating LAN-related questions to an ongoing case-control study of the molecular and environmental etiology of breast cancer in Israel and granting us access to the survey results. Our gratitude is also due to three anonymous reviewers for their numerous helpful comments and suggestions.
Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.