Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in Female Physicians and Breast Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

In plain language

Pooling six observational studies of about 34,700 female physicians, those occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation had higher odds of breast cancer (OR 1.42 to 1.84) than unexposed physicians. This is an association, and dose data were not reported.

At a glance

Type of study: Systematic review or meta-analysis, Meta-analysis
Who was studied: Orthopedic surgeons, Interventional radiologists, Urologists, Interventional cardiologists, Vascular surgeons, Other surgeons, Other physicians
Size: n = 34,744 participants (pooled from 6 studies)
Topics: Breast cancer Cancer risk Women in the field
Summary based on: the abstract

What it found

Female physicians occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation had higher odds of breast cancer than unexposed controls in the pooled analysis.
Key figures: Odds ratio (OR) 1.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-3.06)
The association persisted, with a smaller effect, after excluding the moderate-quality study.
Key figures: OR 1.42 (95% CI 1.06-1.89)
Six observational studies were pooled, covering 8103 exposed physicians and 26,641 controls, with at least 10 years of follow-up.
Key figures: 34,744 participants: 8103 exposed, 26,641 controls
Most included studies were rated high quality on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Key figures: 5 high quality, 1 moderate

Limits to keep in mind

The review pools only six observational studies, so the result shows association rather than causation and may be affected by confounding from other breast cancer risk factors. The abstract does not report exposure dose, heterogeneity or study countries, and the effect estimate fell when the moderate-quality study was excluded.

SCAI Multi-Society Position Statement on Occupational Health Hazards (2020, Guideline or consensus statement)
Occupational Radiation Risk Stratification and Protection in Fluoroscopy-Guided Surgeons and Interventionalists: A Multispecialty Structured Narrative Review (2026, Narrative review)
Radiation in the Orthopedic Operating Room: What We Know, What We Do, and What Needs Attention (2025, Narrative review)
Radiation Exposure, Training, and Safety in Cardiology (2024, Narrative review)
IU Health Handbook of Fluoroscopy Safety (Guideline or consensus statement)

How this summary was made

ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the abstract of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.

Prepared November 3, 2026.