Light-at-night, circadian disruption and breast cancer: assessment of existing evidence
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TLDR
If a consensus eventually emerges that LAN does increase risk, then the mechanisms for the effect are important to elucidate for intervention and mitigation and will provide for the development of lighting technologies at home and at work that minimize circadian disruption, while maintaining visual efficiency and aesthetics.Abstract:
Background Breast cancer incidence is increasing globally for largely unknown reasons. The possibility that a portion of the breast cancer burden might be explained by the introduction and increasing use of electricity to light the night was suggested >20 years ago.
Methods The theory is based on nocturnal light-induced disruption of circadian rhythms, notably reduction of melatonin synthesis. It has formed the basis for a series of predictions including that non-day shift work would increase risk, blind women would be at lower risk, long sleep duration would lower risk and community nighttime light level would co-distribute with breast cancer incidence on the population level.
Results Accumulation of epidemiological evidence has accelerated in recent years, reflected in an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification of shift work as a probable human carcinogen (2A). There is also a strong rodent model in support of the light-at-night (LAN) idea.
Conclusion If a consensus eventually emerges that LAN does increase risk, then the mechanisms for the effect are important to elucidate for intervention and mitigation. The basic understanding of phototransduction for the circadian system, and of the molecular genetics of circadian rhythm generation are both advancing rapidly, and will provide for the development of lighting technologies at home and at work that minimize circadian disruption, while maintaining visual efficiency and aesthetics. In the interim, there are strategies now available to reduce the potential for circadian disruption, which include extending the daily dark period, appreciate nocturnal awakening in the dark, using dim red light for nighttime necessities, and unless recommended by a physician, not taking melatonin tablets.read more
Citations
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Investigating causal relations between sleep traits and risk of breast cancer in women: mendelian randomisation study
Rebecca C Richmond,Emma L Anderson,Hassan S. Dashti,Hassan S. Dashti,Samuel E. Jones,Jacqueline M. Lane,Jacqueline M. Lane,Linn B Strand,Ben Michael Brumpton,Martin K. Rutter,Martin K. Rutter,Andrew R. Wood,Kurt Straif,Caroline L Relton,Marcus R. Munafò,Timothy M. Frayling,Richard M. Martin,Richard M. Martin,Richa Saxena,Michael N. Weedon,Debbie A Lawlor,Debbie A Lawlor,George Davey Smith,George Davey Smith +23 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether sleep traits have a causal effect on risk of breast cancer and found consistent evidence for a protective effect of morning preference and suggestive evidence for an adverse effect of increased sleep duration on breast cancer risk.
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Cancer incidence among Nordic airline cabin crew
Eero Pukkala,Mika Helminen,Tor Haldorsen,Niklas Hammar,Katja Kojo,Katja Kojo,Anette Linnersjö,Vilhjalmur Rafnsson,Hrafn Tulinius,Ulf Tveten,Anssi Auvinen,Anssi Auvinen +11 more
TL;DR: This large study with complete follow‐up and comprehensive cancer incidence data shows an increased incidence of several cancers, but according to the case‐control analysis, excesses appear not to be related to the cosmic radiation or circadian disruptions from crossing multiple time zones.
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Molecular Links between the Circadian Clock and the Cell Cycle.
TL;DR: Understanding how the circadian clock and cell cycle are coupled in cancer cells will be instrumental to optimally take advantage of chronotherapy in cancer treatment, as efficiency of therapy benefits from asynchrony in timed mitosis between the host and the malignant cells in order to predict the optimal time of treatment.
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Analysis of circadian stimulus allowed by daylighting in hospital rooms
TL;DR: Results of simulations used to determine the percentage of days that patients would receive a minimum level of circadian stimulation as a function of different window-to-façade ratios, surface reflectances, and latitudes are detailed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Circadian disruption induced by light-at-night accelerates aging and promotes tumorigenesis in young but not in old rats.
I. A. Vinogradova,Vladimir N. Anisimov,A. V. Bukalev,Viktor Ilyukha,E. A. Khizhkin,Tatiana A. Lotosh,Anna V. Semenchenko,Mark A. Zabezhinski +7 more
TL;DR: It is concluded that circadian disruption induced by light-at-night started at the age of 1 month accelerates aging and promotes tumorigenesis in rats, however failed affect survival when started atThe age of 14 months.
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