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Mortality and cancer incidence in a cohort of registered nurses from British Columbia, Canada
Author(s) -
DimichWard Helen,
Lorenzi Maria,
Teschke Kay,
J. Spinelli John,
Ratner Pamela A.,
Le Nhu D.,
Chow Yat,
Shu Danhong,
Gallagher Richard P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20505
Subject(s) - medicine , cohort , incidence (geometry) , cancer , standardized mortality ratio , retrospective cohort study , cancer incidence , cohort study , breast cancer , epidemiology , demography , physics , sociology , optics
Background A retrospective cohort study of provincial registered nurses (RNs) from British Columbia, Canada was undertaken to determine risks of mortality and cancer incidence; in particular for breast cancer and leukemia. Methods Cohort records of RNs from 1974 to 2000 were linked to Canadian death and cancer registries. Analyses included standardized mortality (SMR) and incidence ratios (SIR) as well as relative risks for internal comparisons. Results There were 58,125 RNs in the cohort (96.7% females). The SMR for all causes of mortality for female RNs was low, at 0.61 (95% CI, 0.58–0.64). The only elevated SIR for female RNs was for malignant melanoma (1.27; 95% CI, 1.10–1.46). Ever working in a hospital, medical surgical specialties or maternal/pediatrics showed some elevated cancer risks. Conclusions Low SMRs for the female RN cohort suggest healthful lifestyles and a healthy worker effect. Length of employment as a nurse, in hospitals and in specific fields was associated with some increased risks of cancer. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:892–900, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.