Association between blue spectrum and colorectal and prostate cancer in Spain

[Graham49]

Only the colon cancer statistics are mentioned in the "Abstract" but prostate cancer is mentioned in the "Background". No doubt the full paper would give more details about the link with prostate cancer.

Association Between Outdoor Light-at-night Exposure and Colorectal Cancer in Spain

Garcia-Saenz, Ariadnaa–c; de Miguel, Alejandro Sánchezd–g; Espinosa, Anaa–c,h; Costas, Laurab,i; Aragonés, Nuriab,k; Tonne, Cathryna–c; Moreno, Victorb,i,j,l; Pérez-Gómez, Beatrizb,m; Valentin, Antoniaa,c,h; Pollán, Marinab,m; Castaño-Vinyals, Gemmaa–c,h; Aubé, Martinf; Kogevinas, Manolisa–c,hAuthor Information

Epidemiology: September 2020 - Volume 31 - Issue 5 - p 718-727

doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001226

BUY

Abstract

Background:

Night-shift work, exposure to artificial light-at-night (ALAN) and particularly blue light spectrum, and the consequent circadian disruption may increase the risk of breast and prostate cancer. Colorectal cancer risk may also be increased among night-shift workers. We investigated the association between exposure to ALAN according to light spectrum and colorectal cancer among subjects who had never worked at night in a general population case–control study in Spain.

Methods:

We examined information on 661 incident histologically verified colorectal cancer cases and 1,322 controls from Barcelona and Madrid, 2007–2013. Outdoor ALAN exposure was based on images from the International Space Station (ISS) including data on remotely sensed upward light intensity. We derived adjusted odds ratio (OR) estimates and confidence intervals (CI) for visual light, blue light, and spectral sensitivities of the five human photopigments assigned to participant’s geocoded longest residence.

Results:

Exposure to blue light spectrum was positively associated with colorectal cancer (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2–2.2; highest vs. lowest tertile). ORs were similar (OR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3–2.3) when further adjusting for area socioeconomic status, diet patterns, smoking, sleep, and family history. We observed no association for outdoor visual light (full spectrum) (OR = 1.0; 95% CI, 0.7–1.2; highest vs. lowest tertile). Analysis of the five photopigments gave similar results with increased risks for shorter wavelengths overlapping with the blue spectrum and no association for longer wavelengths.

Conclusions:

Outdoor blue light spectrum exposure that is increasingly prevalent in recent years may be associated with colorectal cancer risk. See video abstract: links.lww.com/EDE/B708.

[Graham49]

Found this earlier study which gives some statistics of association for prostate cancer and breast cancer.

Evaluating the Association between Artificial Light-at-Night Exposure and Breast and Prostate Cancer Risk in Spain (MCC-Spain Study)

Ariadna Garcia-Saenz , Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel , Ana Espinosa , Antonia Valentin , Núria Aragonés , Javier Llorca , Pilar Amiano , Vicente Martín Sánchez , Marcela Guevara , Rocío Capelo , … See all authors

Published:23 April 2018CID: 047011doi.org/10.1289/EHP1837Cited by:3

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Abstract

Background:

Night shift work, exposure to light at night (ALAN) and circadian disruption may increase the risk of hormone-dependent cancers.

Objectives:

We evaluated the association of exposure to ALAN during sleeping time with breast and prostate cancer in a population based multicase–control study (MCC-Spain), among subjects who had never worked at night. We evaluated chronotype, a characteristic that may relate to adaptation to light at night.

Methods:

We enrolled 1,219 breast cancer cases, 1,385 female controls, 623 prostate cancer cases, and 879 male controls from 11 Spanish regions in 2008–2013. Indoor ALAN information was obtained through questionnaires. Outdoor ALAN was analyzed using images from the International Space Station (ISS) available for Barcelona and Madrid for 2012–2013, including data of remotely sensed upward light intensity and blue light spectrum information for each geocoded longest residence of each MCC-Spain subject.

Results:

Among Barcelona and Madrid participants with information on both indoor and outdoor ALAN, exposure to outdoor ALAN in the blue light spectrum was associated with breast cancer [adjusted odds ratio (OR) for highest vs. lowest tertile, OR=1.47

OR

1.47

; 95% CI: 1.00, 2.17] and prostate cancer (OR=2.05

OR

2.05

; 95% CI: 1.38, 3.03). In contrast, those exposed to the highest versus lowest intensity of outdoor ALAN were more likely to be controls than cases, particularly for prostate cancer. Compared with those who reported sleeping in total darkness, men who slept in “quite illuminated” bedrooms had a higher risk of prostate cancer (OR=2.79

OR

2.79

; 95% CI: 1.55, 5.04), whereas women had a slightly lower risk of breast cancer (OR=0.77

OR

0.77

; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.51).

Conclusion:

Both prostate and breast cancer were associated with high estimated exposure to outdoor ALAN in the blue-enriched light spectrum. doi.org/10.1289/EHP1837