Shift Work May Be Linked to Cancer

There's been evidence for some time that overnight shift work could be linked to a variety of health problems. Now a sleep expert has said that there appears to be a link between shift work and some types of cancer.

Dr Naomi Rogers, director of the Chronobiology and Sleep Research Group at the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Institute, was speaking at the annual conference of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. Rogers said:

Shift workers seem to have an increased incidence of some types of cancer - breast cancer, prostate, colorectal cancers, and we're not sure why

One possibility is that shiftwork suppresses production of melatonin and thus reduces the body's protection against cancer.

Rogers advises shift workers:

It's one risk factor - and you should look at the other risk factors you have and take a healthy approach, so no smoking and eat well. And then when you're not working, try to get good amounts of sleep,

Compensation for Night Shift Cancer Victims

The BBC reports the the Danish government is to pay compensation to some women who developed breast cancer after long spells of shift work. The move comes after publication of research suggesting a possible link between the two in some cases.

Anyone who's had to do shift work knows that it's difficult and can cause all sorts of sleep problems. Recently the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of of the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), went further and classed night working as a "probable" cause of cancer. The hypothesis is that night working can suppress the production of melatonin and in doing so increases the risk of cancer.

Not all Danish shift workers who developed cancer will get compensation. Some with a family history of cancer have already had their claims rejected.