May raise risk
Night shift work
regular overnight shifts. Work & lifestyle.
- Verdict
- May raise riskSome studies point to higher risk, but it isn't confirmed.
- How sure
- Rung 2 · LimitedFew, small or conflicting human studies, or only indirect measures such as blood markers.
The rung shows how sure the science is, not how big the effect is. How to read these ratings
Cancers affected
Breast, prostate, colorectal
What the evidence shows
The WHO's cancer agency classes night shift work as probably carcinogenic, but the human evidence for these cancers is limited; the stronger evidence comes from animal studies.
What to do
If you can't avoid night shifts, keep your other risks low and stay current with screening.
Sources
To take it to your doctor, print this page.
Step by step
For the whole picture, from prevention and screening to treatment and life after, see the breast cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer pages.