According to a new study, people living in areas exposed to high levels of artificial light at night may be at increased risk of developing thyroid cancer later in life.
The latest report, published online in a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, examines the effects of nighttime lighting. Due to rapid industrialization, the presence of artificial lighting is increasing, especially in urban areas. In addition, in previous epidemiological studies, High levels of satellite-measured night lighting and breast cancer risk..
Night lighting and thyroid cancer investigation
Because some forms of breast cancer share a common basis for hormone dependence Thyroid cancerQian Xiao, Ph.D., Department of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center. The research team led by the research team investigated whether nighttime lighting also affects the development of thyroid cancer in later years. Participants in the NIH-AARP diet and health study of American adults aged 50 to 71 years during the 1995-1996 study participated in their study.
To assess nighttime lighting conditions, researchers examined satellite imagery data to assess participants’ residences. They also reviewed the state’s cancer registry database to identify participants in a study diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011.
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Of the 464,371 participants included in the study, followed for an average of 12.8 years, the researchers found 856 cases of thyroid cancer-384 men and 472 women. Comparing the data with the lowest quintile of night lighting (one of the five parts), the highest quintile of the study showed a 55% higher risk of developing thyroid cancer.
In addition, the study reveals that this association was dominated by papillary thyroid cancer, the most common form of thyroid cancer. It was also pointed out that this is more common in women than in men. However, in women, this association is strongly indicated as a localized cancer with few signs of spreading to other parts of the body. On the other hand, the links found also led to more advanced stages and forms of cancer. The researchers also noted that the association appeared unaffected by various tumor sizes, sociodemographic backgrounds, and body mass index (BMI).
Needs additional epidemiological studies
In their report, researchers emphasized the need for additional research to confirm the relevance they found.Once confirmed, this can shed light on the relationship between Night lighting Mechanisms that allow the development of thyroid cancer and this condition.
One possibility pointed out in this study is that nightlights suppress melatonin. Melatonin is speculated to have properties that regulate estrogen activity and prevent tumor growth. Another possibility is that nighttime artificial lighting disrupts the human body’s internal clock or its circadian rhythm, affecting sleep patterns and being a risk factor for various types of cancer.
“As an observational study, our study was not designed to establish a causal relationship,” Xiao said. In the statement.. “Therefore, it is unclear whether higher levels of nighttime outdoor lighting increase the risk of thyroid cancer.” But she also has documented evidence of the role of nighttime light exposure in the body clock. He added that his presence may motivate other researchers to work on the relationship between nighttime lighting and thyroid cancer.
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