The Risk of Cancer among Taiwanese Female Registered Nurses: A Nationwide Retrospective Study

Abstract

BackgroundTo evaluate the risk of cancer among Taiwanese female registered nurses (RNs) using a nationwide population-based dataset.MethodsWe recruited female RNs without antecedent cancer from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research database during 2000–2010. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of cancer were calculated. We also compared rates of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear use between the RNs and the general population matched by age and sex.ResultsA total of 2,077 cancers developed among 184,809 female RNs, with a follow-up of 1,371,910 person-years (median follow-up of 7.86 years), leading to an increased SIR of 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–1.15]. RNs aged between 40–59 years also had a significantly increased SIR (1.14, 95% CI 1.08–1.21). For specific cancer types, RNs had an increased SIR for breast (1.28, 95% CI 1.19–1.37), thyroid (1.26, 95% CI 1.10–1.43), lung and mediastinum (1.36, 95% CI 1.13–1.62), and uterine cancers (1.23, 95% CI 1.01–1.49). A decreased SIR was found for cervix (0.48, 95% CI 0.37–0.61) and liver and biliary tract cancers (0.68, 95% CI 0.50–0.90). Pap smear use averaged 5.80 times per person among female RNs aged 35 years or older and 5.50 times per person in the age-matched control group (p = 0.009).ConclusionThis study found that overall cancer risk was higher among female RNs than general population. For individual cancers, the risks of breast, lung, thyroid and uterine cancer were higher and the risks of cervix and liver cancer were lower than general population. The lower risk of cervical cancer might be partially explained by the increased use of Pap smears in the RNs group. Further large, unbiased population-based prospective studies are needed to investigate the association between nurses and cancer risk and identify the risk factors of cancer in nurses.

The personal cancer screening behaviours of nurses and midwives

“…Rotating night shift nurses were also found to have a decreased risk for cervical cancer compared with the general population (Shen et al . ).…”

“…Nurses may have a higher risk for certain cancers compared with the general population (Kjaer & Hansen , Shen et al . ), attributed to long‐term shift and night work and occupational exposure to carcinogens (Schernhammer et al . , , Ratner et al .…”

Registered nurses are at increased risk of hospitalization for infectious diseases and perinatal complications: A population-based observational study

“…In terms of malignant and benign tumors, the risk of hospitalization in nursing staff was significantly lower than in the general population. This was inconsistent with the results of a study by Shen et al (2013), which used the general information file of Taiwanese health care professionals in the NHIRD and the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 to analyze the number of nursing staff who contracted cancer in 2000-2010. Of the 184,809 practicing female nursing staff identified in that study, 2077 developed cancer; the incidence of cancer in the 40-59 age group was significantly higher (SIR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.08-1.21) and the overall incidence of cancer in nursing staff was higher than in the general population.…”

Healthcare workers: occupational carcinogenic factors and cancer risk

“…Значимо пониженный риск наблюдался в отношении рака шейки матки, печени и желчных путей. Снижение риска рака шейки матки авторы связывают с более частым, чем в контрольной группе, обследованием с использованием Пап-теста [8].…”