Light Pollution and Cancer

Walker, William H.; Bumgarner, Jacob R.; Walton, James C.; Liu, Jennifer A.; Meléndez-Fernández, O. Hecmarie; Nelson, Randy J.; DeVries, A. Courtney

doi:10.3390/ijms21249360

Cited by 72 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 173 publications

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“…Our review suggests a positive association between LAN exposure and risk of breast cancer, particularly in some subgroups, especially in premenopausal women, while few differences substantially emerged according to ER status, thus ongoing efforts to minimize LAN exposure might contribute to decrease human burden of diseases [ 85 – 87 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light at night and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

2021

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Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of cancer death overall. Besides genetic, reproductive, and hormonal factors involved in disease onset and progression, greater attention has focused recently on the etiologic role of environmental factors, including exposure to artificial lighting such as light-at-night (LAN). We investigated the extent to which LAN, including outdoor and indoor exposure, affects breast cancer risk. We performed a systematic review of epidemiological evidence on the association between LAN exposure and breast cancer risk, using a dose–response meta-analysis to examine the shape of the relation. We retrieved 17 eligible studies through September 13, 2021, including ten cohort and seven case–control studies. In the analysis comparing highest versus lowest LAN exposure, we found a positive association between exposure and disease risk (risk ratio [RR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval-CI 1.07–1.15), with comparable associations in case–control studies (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.98–1.34) and cohort studies (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.06–1.15). In stratified analyses, risk was similar for outdoor and indoor LAN exposure, while slightly stronger risks were observed for premenopausal women (premenopausal: RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04–1.28; postmenopausal: 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.13) and for women with estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer (ER + : RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02–1.17; ER–: RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.92–1.23). The dose–response meta-analysis, performed only in studies investigating outdoor LAN using comparable exposure assessment, showed a linear relation up to 40 nW/cm2/sr after which the curve flattened, especially among premenopausal women. This first assessment of the dose–response relation between LAN and breast cancer supports a positive association in selected subgroups, particularly in premenopausal women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light at night and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

2021

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“…For instance, it has been observed that there is a significant relationship between light pollution, which is caused by anthropogenic and artificial electric light in the night environment, and cancer [ 3 ]. The cause of such apparently strange association of events, probably roots back to the important consequences of light pollution on metabolism, which in turn is caused by disruption of circadian rhythm, as seen, in particular, in murine models [ 4 ].…”

Section: The Interaction Between Humans and The Environment A Focus On Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollution, Inflammation, and Vaccines: A Complex Crosstalk

Franza

Cianci

2021

IJERPH

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The importance of pollution in determining human health is becoming increasingly clear, also given the dramatic consequences it has had on recent geopolitical events. Yet, the consequences of contamination are not always straightforward. In this paper, we will discuss the effects of different pollutants on different aspects of human health, in particular on the immune system and inflammation. Different environmental pollutants can have different effects on the immune system, which can then promote complex pathologies, such as autoimmune disorders and cancer. The interaction with the microbiota also further helps to determine the consequences of contamination on wellbeing. The pollution can affect vaccination efficacy, given the widespread effects of vaccination on immunity. At the same time, some vaccinations also can exert protective effects against some forms of pollution.

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“…Disrupted circadian rhythms have been documented to be a potential risk factor for cancer development in a great amount of scientific literature. Among all modern disruptors of circadian rhythms, artificial light at night (ALAN) and its influence on carcinogenesis have been of popular interest because of its rapidly growing worldwide presence [41][42] [43]. Due to different light intensity and wavelength, exposure to ALAN may affect human health by reducing the production and secretion of pineal melatonin, which is a hormone normally produced in the dark phase of the 24-hour cycle [8] [44].…”

Section: Disrupted Circadian Rhythms and Cancermentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Artificial Light at Night Exposure and breast and prostate cancer risk – the review

Zając

Warchoł

Borowiecka

et al. 2021

J Educ Health Sport

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Introduction and purpose: Light is one of the defining features of life on the Earth, allowing certain biological processes to be subordinated to its presence and absence. With the introduction of artificial light, the human natural biological clock was dysregulated. Apart from that, the studies showed a connection between exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) and carcinogenesis. The aim of this review was to present currently available knowledge in the online database PubMed about Association Between Artificial Light at Night and Breast and Prostate Cancer Risk Brief description of the state of knowledge: The article covers clinical and population-based control studies which indicate to ALAN exposure can lead to increased incidence of breast and prostate cancer by disruption of circadian rhythms in several mechanisms involving suppression of melatonin production, dysregulation of sleep–activity pattern and disruption of circadian genes. Conclusions: The review support an assumption that breast and prostate cancer incidence is a consequence of ALAN exposure. Further studies should clarify the relationship between ALAN exposure and other types of cancer. Besides, ALAN exposure levels should be measured more precisely than by satellite pictures analysis to reliably conduct studies proving the relation between ALAN exposure and risk of cancer development.

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Light Pollution and Cancer

Cited by 72 publications

References 173 publications

Light at night and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

Light at night and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

Pollution, Inflammation, and Vaccines: A Complex Crosstalk

Association between Artificial Light at Night Exposure and breast and prostate cancer risk – the review

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