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Background: The use of self-reported body size as an alternative tool to estimate body weight for health risk assessment is not widely reported, especially in relation to breast cancer. Therefore, we examined the association between breast cancer and body-mass index (BMI) and the usefulness of pictograms. Methods: The case–control study was conducted among postmenopausal women from 2015 to 2019. The study involved 151 women with breast cancer and 67 control subjects. Data were collected by a self-reported detailed questionnaire. Results: An increased, 4.13-fold risk of breast cancer (OR = 4.13; 95% CI [1.69, 10.28]) was observed for women with BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 compared to women with normal BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), whereas the association in the case of obese women was not statistically significant. An increased risk of breast cancer was observed for pictogram scores 3–4 (OR = 8.95; 95% CI [3.22, 24.88]) and for the highest level of self-reported body size, pictograms ≥ 5 (OR = 3.20; 95% CI [1.13, 9.09]). Conclusions: The risk of breast cancer is associated with an increased BMI and visual overweigh and obesity. The results suggest that a self-reporting alternative tool can be used to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity, particularly in situations where no other tools are available.

Background—In 2019, the IARC concluded that “night shift work is probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), based on limited evidence from human epidemiological studies and sufficient evidence of cancer and strong mechanistic evidence in experimental Animals.” The negative health consequences of night shift work may depend on how the night shifts are scheduled. The aim of this study was to investigate how the characteristics of night work affect the risk of developing breast cancer. Methods—A case–control study was conducted in 2015–2019 in the Lodz region. The case group included 494 women with breast cancer, while the control group included 515 healthy women. Results—Night work was found to be the third most important factor regarding breast cancer after a high BMI and a short or no breastfeeding period and before factors such as early menstruation, late menopause, no pregnancy, and smoking. The harmful effects of night work were influenced by its intensity, frequency, rotation, and the number of night shift years worked. Night work increases the breast cancer risk by 2.34 times, and high-intensity night work increases the breast cancer risk by 2.66 times. Conclusions—Appropriate ergonomic recommendations for night shift work for employers should be considered.

Shift work is considered a risk factor for some health problems. This study aimed to determine whether night shift work is a significant factor for breast cancer risk. The case&ndash, control study was conducted from 2015&ndash, 2019 in the Ł&oacute, dź region. The case group included 494 women diagnosed with malignant breast cancer, the control group included 515 healthy women. The research tool was an anonymous questionnaire. In the case group, the percentage of women working shift work was 51.9%, whereas in the control group, it was 34.1% (OR = 2.08 (95% CI: 1.61, 2.69)). A more insightful examination of shift work showed that only night work has a significant impact on breast cancer (OR = 2.61 (95% CI: 1.94, 3.53)). Even after considering the effect of other possible cancer factors (like high BMI, smoking, early menstruation, late menopause, pregnancy history, age, place of living, education), the odds of developing cancer were twice as high in the group of shift workers (OR = 2.20 (95% CI: 1.57, 3.08)). Considering a significantly higher risk of cancer among people working at night and a high percentage of such employees in Poland, the government should consider special action in the prophylactic treatment of cancers.