2010-07-16 11:04:50 　來源：國際線上 　編輯：陸熙堯 　

Governments and employers worldwide are set to face pressure for compensation and changes to working patterns following research suggesting night shift work may cause cancer.

研究表明，夜班工作可能導致癌症。世界各國的政府和僱主們勢必面臨要求賠償和調整工作模式的壓力。

Cancer patients' groups, researchers and trade unions are studying evidence of the link after Denmark's National Injuries Board approved compensation of up to DKr1m ($181,000, ?134,000, ?123,000) for 38 women who developed breast cancer after working one or more nights a week for at least 20 years.

丹麥國家傷害委員會(National Injuries Board)批准給予38位患乳癌的婦女最高100萬丹麥克朗（合18.1萬美元）的補償，這些婦女在至少20年內，每週上一個或多個晚上的夜班。目前，癌症患者團體、研究人員和工會紛紛著手研究二者的關聯。

A review of recent studies by the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that night work disrupted the body's circadian rhythms, inhibiting the production of melatonin, a hormone important in fighting cancer. “Shift work that involves circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic to humans,” it concluded, putting the risk at the same level as chemicals containing lead, anabolic steroids, creosote, diesel exhaust and sun lamps.

國際癌症研究機構(IARC)一份回顧了近期相關研究的報告歸納道：夜班會擾亂人體晝夜節律，抑制褪黑激素的分泌，而褪黑激素是一種具有重要抗癌作用的激素。報告的結論是：“會擾亂晝夜節律的輪班工作，可能對人體具有致癌作用。”該報告將這種工作模式列為與含鉛化學物、合成代謝類固醇、雜酚油、柴油機尾氣和日光燈等具有同等致癌風險。

Ahead of the full IARC findings to be published later this year, Australia's National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre cautioned that some studies indicated a “small increase in breast cancer risk . . . in limited groups of women . . . after 20 years or more of shift work”, findings were inconsistent and some “open to questions of bias and confounding”.

IARC的報告全文將於今年晚些時候發表。澳大利亞國家乳癌與卵巢癌中心(NBOCC)則警告稱，一些研究指出，“在數量有限的女性中……經過20年或以上的輪班工作……患乳癌風險小幅上升”，各項研究結果不一致，其中一些“可能存在偏見和混淆”。

But Grete Christensen, deputy president of the Danish Nurses' Organisation, seven of whose members won compensation, said: “Now you can be compensated for working night shifts just as if you were working with poisonous chemicals in some factory.”

丹麥護士組織(Danish Nurses' Organisation)副主任格瑞特?克裏斯騰森(Grete Christensen)表示：“如今你可以因上夜班獲得補償，就如同在某些工廠中與有毒化學物質為伍一樣。”該組織有7名成員獲得了補償。

Other European countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK are also examining looking at the link between night work and breast cancer and may move to granting compensation.

包括荷蘭、比利時和英國等其他歐洲國家也在研究夜班工作與乳癌之間的關聯，並可能提供相應補償。

The Cancer Society of Finland said a forthcoming study on work and cancer in Nordic countries would add to the evidence of a link between shift work and breast cancer in both men and women.

芬蘭癌症協會(Cancer Society of Finland)表示，一份研究北歐國家工作與癌症關係的報告即將發表，將提供更多證據，說明輪班工作與乳癌之間存在關聯，不管是男性還是女性。

Up to a fifth of employees in Europe and the US work shifts including nights. More than 30 per cent work at night in healthcare, manufacturing, mining, transport, communication and the leisure and hospitality sectors.

包括夜班在內，歐洲和美國有多達五分之一僱員輪班工作。在醫療、製造、礦業、交通、通信和娛樂住宿行業，30%以上僱員在夜班工作。

“There is sufficient evidence that night work is causing damage to men's and women's health,” says Laurent Vogel, director of the health and safety department of the European Trade Union Confederation's Institute. “The point is to limit night work to social or technical reasons . . . [not] just for reasons of profitability.”

“有充分證據表明，夜班工作對人體健康有害，無論男性還是女性。”歐洲工會聯合會研究所(ETUI-REHS)安全衛生部主任洛朗?沃格爾(Laurent Vogel)表示：“關鍵是從社會或技術的角度減少夜班……而不僅僅是從盈利角度考慮。”

Denmark's injuries board looked at 75 cases last year and approved compensation in 38. The board said it might recognise night working as an occupational disease once the full IARC report was published, speeding up approval of pay-outs.

丹麥國家傷害委員會去年研究了75個案例，批准給予其中38例補償。該委員會表示，一旦IARC的報告全文發表，它可能將夜班列入職業病範疇，加快補償審批速度。

The board's decision has already prompted some Danish employers to change policy. SAS, the leading Scandinavian airline, took action when one of its Danish stewardesses won compensation for developing breast cancer after more than 20 years of long-haul flights. “We have given our crew members the option of not flying long haul if they are not comfortable doing that,” SAS said.

該委員會的決定已促使丹麥部分僱主調整相關政策。北歐主要航空公司SAS在一名丹麥籍空姐因患乳癌而獲補償後，採取了行動。這位空姐在遠端航班服務了20多年。該航空公司表示：“乘務員如果感到不適，有權選擇不飛遠端航班。”

 資訊來源 : WHO ( 世界衛生組織 ) http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/cancer/en/index.html

英文版本 

10 facts about cancer

Reviewed January 2013

 

Cancer affects everyone – the young and old, the rich and poor, men, women and children – and represents a tremendous burden on patients, families and societies. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, particularly in developing countries.

Yet, many of these deaths can be avoided. Over 30% of cancer can be prevented by healthy life style or by immunization against cancer causing infections ( HBV, HPV). Others can be detected early, treated and cured. Even with late stage cancer, the suffering of patients can be relieved with good palliative care.

Fact 2

In 2008, 7.6 million people died of cancer – 13% of all deaths worldwide.

 

Fact 3

About 70% of all cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Fact 4

Worldwide, the 5 most common types of cancer that kill men are (in order of frequency): lung, stomach, liver, colorectal and oesophagus.

 

Fact 5

Worldwide, the 5 most common types of cancer that kill women are (in the order of frequency): breast, lung, stomach, colorectal and cervical. In many developing countries, cervical cancer is the most common cancer.

Fact 6

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world causing 22% of cancer deaths

 

Fact 7

One fifth of all cancers worldwide are caused by a chronic infection, for example human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer and hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer.

 

Fact 8

Cancers of major public health relevance such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancer can be cured if detected early and treated adequately.

 

 

Fact 9

All patients in need of pain relief could be helped if current knowledge about pain control and palliative care were applied.

 

Fact 10

More than 30% of cancer could be prevented, mainly by not using tobacco, having a healthy diet, being physically active and moderating the use of alcohol. In developing countries up to 20% of cancer deaths could be prevented by immunization against the infection of HBV and HPV.

 

中文版本 1. 有100多种癌症，身体的任何部位均可能受到侵袭。 2. 2005年，有760万人死于癌症 – 占全世界5800万死亡的13%。 3. 在所有癌症死亡中，有70%以上发生在低收入和中等收入国家。 4. 就全世界而言，造成男子死亡的5种最常见癌症（按发生频度排列）为肺癌、胃癌、肝癌、结肠直肠癌症和食道癌。 5. 在世界范围内，造成妇女死亡的5种最常见癌症（按发生频度排列）为乳腺癌、肺癌、胃癌、结肠直肠癌和宫颈癌。 6. 烟草使用是全世界癌症的单一最大可预防原因。 7. 全世界有五分之一的癌症是由慢性感染引起的，例如人类乳头瘤病毒引起宫颈癌和乙肝病毒引起肝癌。 8. 如能及早发现和充分治疗，有三分之一癌症可以治愈。 9. 如果应用目前关于疼痛控制和姑息治疗的知识，可帮助需要缓解疼痛的所有患者. 10. 主要通过不使用烟草、健康饮食、身体活动和预防可造成癌症的感染，可预防40%的癌症。 http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/cancer/en/index.html

 

癌症患者要面對治療帶來的問題，家人也受困擾，有病人接受氣功治療後，生活質素大為改善。香港大學行為研究中心及國際健康養生會，聯同香港防癌會首次進行針對癌症病人和家人的研究，探討氣功對改善癌者患者和家人生活質素的影響，鼓勵病人與家人同習氣功，互相支持，令成效更顯著。

醫師指導學員練習「五行平衡功」的第九式「回頭望月」。

港大社會科學院副院長陳麗雲昨指，本港每年超過二萬五千宗癌症新症。患者得悉噩耗，身邊至親亦憂心忡忡。電療或化療會影響病人認知能力，令他們感疲倦及情緒易波動。她指出，中國氣功能全面調理身心，長期病患者練習氣功後，生理和心理疲勞均獲改善，癌症病人練氣功相信也可改善生活質素。今次研究招募病人和家屬一同上課學氣功，令成效更理想。

臨床腫瘤科專科醫生岑信棠稱，雖然治癌藥物副作用愈來愈少，但病人始終感疲倦和胃口欠佳，望研究確立氣功成效的科學證據，配合西醫治療，令更多人受惠。

現年六十一歲的黃女士（化名）○七年十一月確診患肺癌，切除腫瘤後，○九年七月復發，需接受化療。她在一○年底開始接受中藥治療及練習氣功。黃女士稱，化療令她身體虛弱，經常失眠，服安眠藥也難入睡，習氣功後改善睡眠問題，胃口和精神好轉，更可離港外遊，間中與朋友打木球，化療用藥密度也減少。

參與港大「攜手同行」癌友及家人氣功的病人，須於過去五年內首次確診患癌，由家人照顧。患者和家人可網上報名，再安排上氣功課程，名額二百個，報名詳情可瀏覽http://cbh.hku.hk/qigong。

2012-3-29