Causes of breast cancer: could work at night really be a cause?

Family doctors interested in why the 60-year-old woman in front of them has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer might consider asking her if she worked at night during her career. Even the surgeon may be disconcerted because this woman does not have any of the known risk factors: she has no family history, had two children in her twenties, she eats well, exercises, drinks little alcohol and was a regular participant in breast cancer screening. At the same time, most physicians have experienced the disruption that occurs when they work at night, and perhaps all have suffered jet lag at some point. These activities that require light in times of natural darkness or adaptation to new time zones can indeed disrupt our internal clock, our circadian rhythms.

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