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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00342407

The Incidence of Breast and Other Cancers Among Female Flight Attendants

Flight attendants may be at an increased risk of breast and other cancers due to work-place exposures including cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption form traveling across multiple time zones. This cancer incidence study will determine whether female flight attendants are at increased risk of breast and other cancers and whether the risk is dose-related. The study will include a cohort of approximately 10,000 women who were employed as flight attendants for one or more years.

Breast cancer cases will be identified from telephone interviews of living subjects and next-of-kin of deceased subjects, as well as from death certificates. The interview will also provide information about non-occupational risk factors for breast cancer such as parity. Both internal and external comparisons will be made. The primary analysis will evaluate the risk associated with occupational exposure within the cohort, controlling for non-occupational risk factors by stratification or modeling. The secondary analysis will compare the incidence of breast cancer in the cohort to that in the general population, with adjustment for factors such as lower parity which might increase breast cancer risk in the cohort independent of occupational exposure to cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption. The risk of other ionizing radiation-related cancers, such as leukemia, lung cancer, and thyroid cancer, among flight attendants will also be evaluated. The results of the study will apply to female flight crew and frequent fliers.

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Key information

Conditions

Thyroid Cancer Breast Cancer Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Endocrine Gland Neoplasms Endocrine System Diseases Head and Neck Neoplasms Melanoma Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue Neuroectodermal Tumors Neuroendocrine Tumors Nevi and Melanomas Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Skin Diseases Skin Neoplasms Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases Thyroid Diseases Thyroid Neoplasms

Age range

18 year–100 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45226, United States

About this study

Flight attendants may be at an increased risk of breast and other cancers due to work-place exposures including cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption from traveling across multiple time zones. This cancer incidence study will determine whether female flight attendants are at increased risk of breast and other cancers and whether the risk is dose-related. The study will include a cohort of approximately 9,631 women who were employed as flight attendants for one or more years.

Breast cancer cases will be identified from telephone interviews of living subjects and next-of-kin of deceased subjects, as well as from death certificates. The interview will also provide information about non-occupational risk factors for breast cancer such as parity. Both internal and external comparisons will be made. The primary analysis will evaluate the risk associated with occupational exposure within the cohort, controlling for non-occupational risk factors by stratification or modeling. The secondary analysis will compare the incidence of breast cancer in the cohort to that in the general population, with adjustment for factors such as lower parity which might increase breast cancer risk in the cohort independent of occupational exposure to cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption. The risk of other ionizing radiation-related cancers, such as leukemia, lung cancer, and thyroid cancer, among flight attendants will also be evaluated. The results of the study will apply to female flight crew and frequent fliers.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Employed as a flight attendant for one or more years by Pan AM before Pan Am ceased operation in 1991. For flight attendants who transferred to Pan Am from National Airlines when Pan Am bought National Airlines in 1981, the time employed as a flight attendant at National Airlines will be counted towards the one year minimum.

A U.S. citizen when they began working at Pan Am (or National Airlines, if the flight attendant transferred to Pan AM from National Airlines).

Worked at least one day after January 1, 1953.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Breast and other cancers

    Time frame: Time of questionnaire, time of death

    survival

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Nih

Collaborators

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH/CDC)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2001
Primary completion
2005
Study completion
2020
First posted
Jun 21, 2006
Registry last updated
Apr 10, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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