A new study has found evidence that stress from work can in no way be linked to causing any form of cancer, researchers say.
Ninety percent of all known types of cancer are caused due to environmental exposures. While some of these exposures such as UV radiation and tobacco smoke are recognised, others like stress are not.
Stress is known to cause chronic inflammation, which is instrumental in the development of cancer. However, only a few studies have been conducted so far that link work-stress to cancer and most of these have not been able to come up with clear conclusions.
However, in a new study conducted by researchers from the IPD-Work Consortium, led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London, it has been found that stress from work cannot be linked to cancer.
The study involved a meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 116,000 participants aged 17 to 70, from Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and the U.K. Psychological stress was measured in comparison to job stress which was divided into categories - high strain job (high demands and low control), active job (high demands and high control), passive job (low demands and low control) and low strain job (low demands and high control).
Data on cancer cased was also collected and analysed. It was found that 5,765 out of 116,056 (5 percent) participants developed some form of cancer in the average 12 year follow-up. None of these people showed any signs of job strain.
Researchers conclude the study shows that there is "no evidence for an association between job strain and overall cancer risk."
