Lee Dong-Wook, Kim Hyeonjun, Lee Wanhyung, Lee Woo-Ri, Yoo Ki-Bong, Choi Jun-Hyeok, Lee Kyung-Eun, Yoon Jin-Ha
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Inha University, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea.
Jungbu Korea Occupational Diseases Surveillance Center, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea.
Cancers (Basel). 2023 Mar 29;15(7):2045. doi: 10.3390/cancers15072045.
Healthcare workers in hospitals (HHCWs), a notably increasing workforce, face various occupational hazards. A high incidence of cancer among HHCWs has been observed; however, the cancer incidence status among HHCWs in South Korea is yet to be studied. This study aimed to assess cancer incidence among HHCWs in South Korea.
We constructed a retrospective cohort of HHCWs using National Health Insurance claims data, including cancer incidence status and vital status, from 2007 to 2015. Those who had worked in hospitals for at least three years were defined as HHCWs. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for all cancer types and standardized mortality ratios were calculated.
A total of 107,646 HHCWs were followed up, and the total follow-up duration was 905,503 person-years. Compared to the total workers, female HHCWs showed significantly higher SIR for all cancers (observed cases = 1480; SIR = 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.47). The incidence of breast cancer among female HHCWs was significantly higher compared to that among total workers (observed cases = 376; SIR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.09-1.36).
Our findings indicate that female HHCWs have an elevated probability of developing cancer, which suggests that occupational risk factors such as night-shift work, anti-neoplastic medications, stressful jobs, and ionizing radiation should be assessed. Further investigation and occupational environment improvement activities are required.
医院医护人员（HHCWs）作为一支数量显著增加的劳动力队伍，面临着各种职业危害。已观察到HHCWs中癌症发病率较高；然而，韩国HHCWs的癌症发病情况尚未得到研究。本研究旨在评估韩国HHCWs的癌症发病率。
我们利用2007年至2015年的国民健康保险理赔数据构建了一个HHCWs回顾性队列，数据包括癌症发病情况和生命状态。在医院工作至少三年的人员被定义为HHCWs。计算了所有癌症类型的标准化发病率（SIRs）和标准化死亡率。
共随访了107,646名HHCWs，总随访时长为905,503人年。与全体工作人员相比，女性HHCWs的所有癌症SIR显著更高（观察病例数 = 1480；SIR = 1.25；95%置信区间[CI] = 1.06 - 1.47）。女性HHCWs中乳腺癌的发病率与全体工作人员相比显著更高（观察病例数 = 376；SIR = 1.21；95%CI = 1.09 - 1.36）。
我们的研究结果表明，女性HHCWs患癌症的概率升高，这表明应评估诸如夜班工作、抗肿瘤药物、压力大的工作和电离辐射等职业风险因素。需要进一步调查和开展职业环境改善活动。
