We knew about the overexposure of women night workers to hormone-dependent cancers, like certain breast tumors.
In question, the disruption of biological cycles. But another risk factor at night increases the risk of breast cancer: artificial light.
And this in postmenopausal women.
To highlight this causal link, the American team of Professor Rena Jones has taken up satellite images since 1996, snapshots seen from the sky of residential neighborhoods in the United States.
A total of 186,981 postmenopausal women were included in the study. For 16 years, the incidence of breast cancer has been reported in this population.
As a result, “compared to low outside light at night, women most exposed to this pollution in their environment have a 10% additional risk of suffering from breast cancer”.
The majority of breast cancers occurring after menopause are linked to lifestyle habits (unbalanced diet, excessive alcohol consumption, overweight in adulthood, undernutrition before puberty).
Note: In 2018, 58,459 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in France. This tumor is therefore the most frequent in women. Between 20 to 30% of patients treated for breast cancer are likely to develop long-term metastases, and that 5% of breast cancers are metastatic from the start. One in eight women will develop a breast tumor during her lifetime. And the number of new cases by 2030 is expected to continue to increase.
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