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A woman's career choice may impact her risk of developing breast cancer, a Canadian study published Thursday in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found.
Researchers looked at personal, medical, and detailed occupational histories of 1,100 Canadian women, including 564 who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, hoping to identify occupations linked to increased breast cancer risk.
Those with cancer, the data showed, were almost three times more likely to have worked on farms, many during adolescence when breast tissue is believed to be vulnerable to toxic exposures, researchers said in a statement.
Women who worked on farms and then went on to work in Canada's auto manufacturing sector or in health care jobs faced an even higher risk of developing the disease, the study found.
"The evidence points to a possible link between increased breast cancer risk and certain occupational settings," study author James Brophy said.
"Agents present in agricultural settings may make a woman more susceptible to breast cancer, especially if she is exposed to these agents early in her life, and subsequent exposures in other settings may further compound the risk and promote disease development."
But further research is necessary to pinpoint the chemical agents in participants' work environments possibly responsible for the increased incidence of breast cancer, he said.
To that end, Brophy and his team have already initiated a broader study.
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AFP 122117 GMT 10 06
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