Study: Electromagnetic Fields May Increase Male Breast Cancer Risk

Exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and light at night may increase the risk of breast cancer in men, according to researchers at the Medical School of Ataturk University in Turkey.

A study devised by radiologists and oncologists looked at the factors involved in male breast cancer in 196 patients admitted to their regional hospital between 1990 to 2000.

Eleven patients (5 percent) were men with an average age of 61. The most frequent type of breast cancer found was infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Gynecomastia (a benign proliferation of breast glandular tissue resulting from an imbalance in estrogen action relative to androgen action in the breast tissue) was found in 2 patients.

Other risk factors included excessive consumption of alcohol in 1 patient, family history in 1 patient, and exposure to electromagnetic fields and light at night in 4 patients.

Researchers were unable to establish any risk factors in 3 of the patients. Researchers were able to establish an overall male breast cancer rate of 0.3 percent among the men who had worked for the Turkish Institution of Electricity in eastern Turkey, according to the study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention.

"In our study we demonstrated a close relation between exposure to EMFs and light at night and male breast cancer in eastern Turkey," concluded the researchers. "We also supposed that not only exposure to EMFs but also the duration of the exposure could affect the risk of development of male breast carcinoma."

Other Sources: European Journal of Cancer Prevention