Breast cancer among female flight attendants and the role of the occupational exposures: A systematic review and meta-analysis
A partir d'une revue systématique de la littérature (9 études), cette méta-analyse évalue l'association entre les radiations cosmiques, des troubles du rythme circadien et le risque de cancer du sein chez les hôtesses de l'air
Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate occupational exposures and their role in breast cancer (BC) risk among female flight attendants (FFA). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE and included all observational studies reporting on the outcome BC incidence among FFA. The exposures of interest were cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, of which four were included in the meta-analysis for BC incidence (pooled SIR = 1.43, 95%CI 1.32-1.54). Three studies suggested a possible association between BC and cosmic radiation, while none found an association with circadian rhythm disruption. Conclusion: Neither exposure to cosmic radiation nor circadian rhythm disruption seem to explain the elevated risk for BC among flight attendants. Further studies reporting individual information on occupational exposures are needed.