ArticleEnvironmental health perspectives2017
Outdoor Light at Night and Breast Cancer Incidence in the Nurses' Health Study II.
Article in Environmental health perspectives, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.
- Light at night exposure and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Night-shift work, breast cancer incidence, and all-cause mortality: an updated meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2022Pooled it
- Light at night and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.International journal of health geographics · 2021Pooled it
- Prolonged exposure to artificial light and carcinogenesis: A systematic review of oncostatic mechanisms associated with melatonin pathways.Photochemistry and photobiologyPooled it
- Chronotherapy in Oncology: Aligning Cancer Treatment with Biological Time.Journal of personalized medicine · 2026Review
- Only shine the light where and when it is needed - the impact of light pollution.Future healthcare journal · 2025Article
- Individual-Level Exposure to Light at Night and Sleep Health: A Comparison between Real-Time Mobility-Based Measurements and Indoor Residence-Based Measurements.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Outdoor Exposure to Artificial Light at Night and Breast Cancer Risk: A Case-Control Study Nested in the E3N-Generations Cohort.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- Breast cancer: pathogenesis and treatments.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025Review
- Radiofrequency radiation from mobile phones and the risk of breast cancer: A multicenter case-control study with an additional suspected comparison group.Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · 2025Article
- Exposure to Light at Night and Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Data Synthesis.Cancers · 2024Review
- Blue Light and Digital Screens Revisited: A New Look at Blue Light from the Vision Quality, Circadian Rhythm and Cognitive Functions Perspective.Journal of biomedical physics & engineering · 2024Review
- Digital Screen Time and the Risk of Female Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Matched Case-Control Study.Journal of biomedical physics & engineering · 2024Article
- Nighttime Outdoor Artificial Light and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Comparison of Hematological Parameters and the Associated Factors Among Women with and without Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study.Breast cancer (Dove Medical Press) · 2024Article
- Association between Outdoor Light at Night and Prostate Cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2023Article
- A Narrative Review of the Carcinogenic Effect of Night Shift and the Potential Protective Role of Melatonin.Cureus · 2023Review
- Associations between Aircraft Noise Exposure and Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Quality in the United States-Based Prospective Nurses' Health Study Cohort.Environmental health perspectives · 2023Article
- Outdoor light at night and risk of endometrial cancer in the NIH-AARP diet and health study.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2023Article
- Impact of Solid State Roadway Lighting on Melatonin in Humans.Clocks & sleep · 2022Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAnimal and epidemiologic studies suggest that exposure to light at night (LAN) may disrupt circadian patterns and decrease nocturnal secretion of melatonin, which may disturb estrogen regulation, leading to increased breast cancer risk.
objectivesWe examined the association between residential outdoor LAN and breast cancer incidence using data from the nationwide U.S.-based Nurses' Health Study II cohort.
methodsWe followed 109,672 women from 1989 through 2013. Cumulative LAN exposure was estimated using time-varying satellite data for a composite of persistent nighttime illumination at ∼1 km
resultsOver 2,187,425 person-years, we identified 3,549 incident breast cancer cases. Based on a fully adjusted model, the estimated HR for incident breast cancer with an interquartile range (IQR) (31.6 nW/cm
conclusionsAlthough further work is required to confirm our results and to clarify potential mechanisms, our findings suggest that exposure to residential outdoor light at night may contribute to invasive breast cancer risk. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP935.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.