Breast Cancer Incidence among Female Workers by Different Occupations and Industries: A Longitudinal Population-Based Matched Case-Control Study in Taiwan

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 19;19(16):10352. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191610352.

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer incidence worldwide and in Taiwan. The relationship between breast cancer and occupational types remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate lifetime breast cancer incidence by different occupational industries among female workers in Taiwan.

Methods: A population-based retrospective case-control study was conducted using three nationwide population-based databases. Matched case and control groups were identified with 1-to-4 exact matching among 103,047 female workers with breast cancer diagnosed in 2008-2017 and those without breast cancer. Their lifetime labor enrollment records were tracked using the National Labor Insurance Database, 1950-2017. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the association between types of occupational industries and risk of incident breast cancer.

Results: Our study found slightly significant breast cancer risk among the following major occupational classifications: manufacturing (OR: 1.027, 95% CI: 1.011-1.043); wholesale and retail trade (OR: 1.068, 95% CI: 1.052-1.084); information and communication (OR: 1.074, 95% CI: 1.043-1.105); financial and insurance activities (OR: 1.109, 95% CI: 1.086-1.133); real estate activities (OR: 1.050, 95% CI: 1.016-1.085); professional, scientific, and technical activities (OR: 1.118, 95% CI: 1.091-1.145); public administration, defense, and social security (OR: 1.054, 95% CI: 1.023-1.087), education (OR: 1.199, 95% CI: 1.168-1.230); and human health and social work activities (OR: 1.125, 95% CI: 1.096-1.156).

Conclusions: Greater percentages of industrial occupations (i.e., manufacturing, wholesale and retail, or health professionals) were associated with slightly increased breast cancer risk. Further studies should investigate the possible risk factors among female workers in those industries with slightly higher incidence of breast cancer.

Keywords: breast cancer risks; female workers; occupational industries.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms* / complications
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Occupational Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Occupational Diseases* / etiology
  • Occupational Exposure* / adverse effects
  • Occupations
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Taiwan / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labor (ILOSH-103-3002, ILOSH-105-0007, and ILOSH-106-0012), and the Ministry of Science and Technology grant (MOST105-2314-B-037-063, MOST106-2314-B-037-036, MOST 108-2410-H-037-007, MOST 109-2423-H-037-001-SS3). This study is supported partially by Kaohsiung Medical University Research Center Grant (KMU-M108007, KMUTC109B08, KMU-TC109A01-1, KMUTC110B05). This work was supported partially by the Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan from The Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan and by Kaohsiung Medical University Research Center Grant (KMU-TC111A01 and KMUTC111IFSP01). The authors also thank the help from the Division of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, and Center for Big Data Research, Kaohsiung Medical University for providing administrative and funding support. None of the above had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.