Objective: This study aimed to estimate the associations between occupational exposure to textile fibers/dusts and incidence of postmenopausal invasive breast cancer.
Methods: A population-based case-control study conducted in Montreal (2008-2011) identified hospital cases (N = 695) and population controls (N = 608) from the electoral list. Occupational hygienists examined participants' occupations and tasks, and attributed exposures to several textile fibers. For all tumors and according to biomolecular subtypes, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using logistic regression models with different exposure indices, adjusting for potential confounders.
Results: Ever exposure to cotton dust was associated with an increased risk (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.95-2.16) as was ever exposure to treated textile fibers before age 36 years and/or before first full-term pregnancy (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.97-2.01).
Conclusions: These suggestive associations and the rapid evolution of textile fibers treatment warrant additional scrutiny, especially among younger women.
Keywords: breast cancer; case-control studies; epidemiology; occupational exposures; postmenopausal; risk factors; textile fibers.
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.