New study finds occupation may be linked to breast cancer
A person's occupations may be linked to his or her risk of developing breast cancer, a new study published in the journal Environmental Health, recently revealed.
A person's occupations may be linked to his or her risk of developing breast cancer, a new study published in the journal Environmental Health, recently revealed.
The study looked at 1006 cases of breast cancer in Southern Ontario, Canada, and investigators used surveys and interviews to gather information on subjects' jobs and reproductive history. Each of the subjects' occupations was rated based on the likelihood of being exposed to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, which are factors that interfere with the hormonal system.
The researchers found that fields like agriculture, bar and gambling, automotive plastics manufacturing, food canning and metalworking had the highest levels of exposure to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, and subsequently, the subjects who worked in those fields had a greater risk of developing breast cancer.
The study also revealed a link between high rates of breast cancer and lower socioeconomic status, which the researchers believe is due to industries such as agriculture and manufacturing, which are linked with higher cancer rates, paying lower wages. The research demonstrated the importance of looking at the health hazards of certain fields of work and how it translates to cancer rates.
"Our results highlight the importance of occupational studies in identifying and quantifying environmental risk factors and illustrates the value of taking detailed occupational histories of cancer patients," said study author James T. Brophy, Ph.D. "Mounting evidence suggests that we need to re-evaluate occupational exposure limits in regulatory protection."
Breast cancer facts
According to BreastCancer.org, nearly one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer within the course of their lives, and in 2011, nearly 39,520 women were expected to die from the condition, although the number of fatalities due to the disease have been decreasing every year since 1990.
Symptoms
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports that some symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or a portion of the breast become thicker, a change in the size or shape of the breast as well as secretion of fluid from the breast that is not milk.
Treatments
There are a variety of different treatments for breast cancer that patients can receive, such as a lumpectomy, in which the tumor is removed, or, a partial or total mastectomy, in which part of, or all, of the breast is removed, according to the NCI.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) note that patients may buy Tamoxifen in order to treat the cancer if it has spread to other parts of the body and it can also be used to decrease the risk of developing cancer, which may be warranted for patients with certain risk factors, such as age or a family history of the disease. Tamoxifen is available from CandianDrugs.
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