Abstract
Cancer is increasing in rate globally and is leading cause of death among no communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) after cardiovascular disease (CVD). Most of the research focuses on the risk of occupational injury, job stress, mental illness, substance abuse and workplace safety in physicians and nurses. However, fewer studies have investigated the risk of cancer in pharmacists. We compared the matched general population to investigate the risk of cancer in pharmacists in Taiwan. Data were obtained from the Health and Welfare Data Science Center of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan. We established a pharmacist group that included 11,568 pharmacists and selected a 4-fold comparison (n = 46,272) for the non-clinics comparison group, frequency being matched by age, gender and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score. The pharmacists had a lower but non-significant risk of all cancer (Adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85–1.07) compared with the general population. Female pharmacists had a higher risk of cancer than male pharmacists ([aHR] = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.06–1.43). Pharmacists had higher risks of breast cancer in females (aHR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.35–2.08) and of prostate cancer in males (aHR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.35–2.08) when compared with the general population. Occupational risk factors could play a role, but they were not evaluated. These epidemiological findings require additional studies to clarify cancer risk mechanisms in pharmacists.
Highlights
The health sector has been termed as one of the most hazardous environments to work in, as employees, such as those working in hospitals and health facilities, are constantly exposed to a complex variety of occupational risks in the course of their work [1]
Cancer incidence was calculated in both cohorts using the following formula: sum of cancer development divided by sum of follow-up years
Cancer incidence was calculated in both cohorts using the following forage, gender and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score
Summary
The health sector has been termed as one of the most hazardous environments to work in, as employees, such as those working in hospitals and health facilities, are constantly exposed to a complex variety of occupational risks in the course of their work [1]. Occupational risks in clinical and non-clinical practitioners can vary depending on their specific profession, the nature of their work and their workplace type and environment [2]. As highlighted by Che Huei et al [3] and Lombardo and Roussel [4], employees in hospital settings are exposed to physical hazards such as radiation; psychological hazards such as shift work; biological hazards such as bacterial or viral infections; and chemical hazards such as antineoplastic drugs.
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