Solar Ultraviolet Radiation and Breast Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Solar Ultraviolet Radiation and Breast Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A protective relationship has been hypothesized between exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the development of breast cancer. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of studies examining the association of exposure to solar UVR and br...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental health perspectives Vol. 128; no. 1; p. 16002
Main Authors: Hiller, Troy W R, O'Sullivan, Dylan E, Brenner, Darren R, Peters, Cheryl E, King, Will D
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 01-01-2020
Environmental Health Perspectives
Subjects:
Adult
Age
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology
Cancer research
Cancer treatment
Child development
Cohort analysis
Development and progression
Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data
Estimates
Exercise
Exposure
Female
Health aspects
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Heterogeneity
Hormone replacement therapy
Humans
Literature reviews
Meta-analysis
North America - epidemiology
Quality
Radiation (Physics)
Review
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Risk reduction
Solar radiation
Statistical analysis
Studies
Subgroups
Summer
Sun
Systematic review
Time
Ultraviolet radiation
Ultraviolet Rays
Vitamin D
North America
Canada
Ontario
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Summary:A protective relationship has been hypothesized between exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the development of breast cancer. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of studies examining the association of exposure to solar UVR and breast cancer risk. We searched Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science for all studies investigating exposure to solar UVR and breast cancer risk. Separate analyses were performed using estimates of time spent in the sun, and ambient UVR. Associations were estimated using DerSimonian and Laird random-effect models. Heterogeneity was investigated through subgroup analyses and statistics. Fourteen studies were included in the review and 13 in the meta-analysis, with the majority ( ) conducted in North America. We observed a decreased risk of breast cancer for individuals spending in the sun during summer months over a lifetime or usual adulthood compared with [ ; 95% CI: 0.77, 0.91]. Spending in the sun had a similar protective effect as 1 to when compared with ( 0.83; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.93 vs. 0.83; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.89). Exposure during adolescence was suggestive of a lower risk of breast cancer than exposure later in life ( of age) ( 0.83; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.98 vs. 0.97; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.11). Ambient UVR was not associated with the risk of breast cancer ( 1.00; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.09). To our knowledge, this was the first meta-analysis to estimate the risk of developing breast cancer associated with time spent in the sun. The results suggest that obtaining greater than an hour a day in the sun during the summer months could decrease the risk of developing breast cancer. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4861.
ISSN:0091-6765
1552-9924
DOI:10.1289/EHP4861