Night shift work, sleep duration and endometrial cancer risk: A pooled analysis from the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium (E2C2)

Data on the role of circadian related factors in the etiology of endometrial cancer are scarce. We collected individual data on night shift work or daily sleep duration from 7,207 cases and 22,027 controls participating in 11 studies from the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium (E2C2). Main analyses were performed among postmenopausal women: 6,335 endometrial cancer cases and 18,453 controls. Using individual data, study-specific odd ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with logistic regression and pooled analyses were conducted using random-effects meta-analyses. A non-significant inverse association was observed between endometrial cancer and night shift work (OR=0.89, 95%CI=0.72–1.09; I2=0.0%, Pheterogeneity=0.676). Associations did not vary by shift type (permanent or rotating), or duration of night work. Categorizations of short (<7h) or long (=9h) sleep duration were not associated with endometrial cancer risk (ORshort=1.02, 95%CI=0.95–1.10; I2=55.3%, Pheterogeneity=0.022; ORlong=0.93, 95%CI=0.81–1.06; I2=11.5%, Pheterogeneity=0.339). No associations were observed per 1-h increment of sleep (OR=0.98, 95%CI=0.95–1.01; I2=46.1%, Pheterogeneity=0.063), but an inverse association was identified among obese women (OR=0.93, 95%CI=0.89–0.98 per 1-h increment; I2=12.7%, Pheterogeneity=0.329). Overall, these pooled analyses provide evidence that night shift work and sleep duration are not strong risk factors for endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women.