Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Population Studies of Radiation Exposure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Details

• Journal Article:
  British Journal of Cancer
• Personal Author:
  Chirikova, Ekaterina ; Ronckers, Cecile M. ; Little, Mark P. ; Quinn, Emma ; Liu, Brittany ; Hu, Richard ; Gillan, Mayela T. ; Frangione, Brianna ; Benzouak, Tarek ; Srivastava, Tanvi ; Zablotska, Lydia B.
  More +
• Description:
  Background: While breast cancer risk from high-dose ionising radiation is known, uncertainties remain about risks at lower doses and risk-modifying factors. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of publications on radiation-associated risk of breast cancer in women. Methods: We included studies published in 2005-2022 that assessed breast cancer incidence or mortality in women exposed to ionising radiation. Risk of bias was evaluated. Random-effects meta-analyses estimated excess relative risks per gray (ERR/Gy). Results: Of the 3522 articles screened, 106 met the inclusion criteria; 40 studies provided 44 ERR/Gy estimates. Overall, radiation exposure was associated with increased breast cancer risk (ERR/Gy = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.29-0.83). Between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 95%) was substantially reduced in subgroup analyses, reaching 5% in low-dose-rate studies. Higher summary ERRs were observed for high dose-rate exposures, moderate (1-5 Gy) doses, childhood exposures, and attained age over 55. Lower but significantly increased risks were estimated for other subgroups and exposure scenarios. Conclusions: Radiation exposure was associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer among women, particularly following high dose-rates, moderate doses, childhood exposures, and older attained age. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Breast Neoplasms
  • Female
  • Mortality
  • Neoplasms
  • Occupational Health
  • Radiation Exposure
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Cancer rates
  • Epidemiology
  • Women
  • Breast cancer
  • Mortality rates
  • Systematic reviews
  • Radiation exposure
  • Risk factors
• ISSN:
  0007-0920
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Chicago Region OSHA ; Illinois ; San Francisco Region OSHA
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  12 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071827
• Citation:
  Br J Cancer 2026 Jun; :Epub ahead of print
• Contact Point Address:
  Ekaterina Chirikova, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
• Email:
  ekaterina.chirikova@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260050/cdc_260050_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 600.65 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1bb8ecffb0077386b72711e9f6b2ded1a75e6e627e8e49d83e42a13b998704684ae8427baca8644e88694715d8a725b5d85657466382bdcaf2586258a018defb