Table 2

HR for invasive breast cancer for women who had ever worked for at least 10 years in an occupation

Occupation* N total†(14 119)N cases (897)HR‡ 95% CIHR adj.§ 95% CI
White-collar workers 9860669   1.27   (1.09 to 1.47)1.25  (1.06 to 1.47)
Blue-collar workers** 4194225   1.0   -1.0  -
0. Professional, technical and related work4522294   1.06   (0.92 to 1.21)1.00  (0.86 to 1.15)
 00. Engineering work24220  1.33  (0.85 to 2.07)1.38  (0.88 to 2.15)
 04. Health and nursing work1732106  0.97  (0.79 to 1.19)0.99  (0.80 to 1.22)
  040. Registered nurses42038  1.48  (1.07 to 2.05)1.51  (1.08 to 2.08)
 05. Educational work132698  1.22  (0.99 to 1.50)1.12  (0.90 to 1.40)
  052. Teachers of theoretical subjects†† 26026  1.57  (1.06 to 2.32)1.37  (0.90 to 2.05)
 09. Other professional, technical and related work68443  1.00  (0.73 to 1.35)0.90  (0.66 to 1.24)
1. Administrative and managerial work47535  1.19  (0.85 to 1.67)1.14  (0.80 to 1.62)
 10. Government legislative and administrative work20417  1.39  (0.86 to 2.25)1.20  (0.72 to 2.00)
 11. Business administrative and other technical and economical administrative work27118  1.05  (0.66 to 1.67)1.08  (0.67 to 1.75)
2. Bookkeeping and clerical work4017276  1.14  (0.99 to 1.31)1.14  (0.99 to 1.32)
 20. Bookkeeping and cashier’s work90958  1.00  (0.77 to 1.30)1.08  (0.83 to 1.42)
 29. Clerical and related work3108218  1.16  (1.00 to 1.35)1.14  (0.97 to 1.34)
3. Sales work1820102  0.88  (0.72 to 1.08)0.90  (0.73 to 1.11)
 33. Other sales work160092  0.91  (0.73 to 1.13)0.93  (0.75 to 1.17)
4. Agricultural, forestry and fishing work1037  1.07  (0.51 to 2.25)1.18  (0.56 to 2.49)
5. Mining and quarrying work00  -  --  -
6. Transportation and communications work71240  0.88  (0.64 to 1.21)0.88  (0.64 to 1.22)
 65. Postal service and telecommunications work50922  0.68  (0.44 to 1.03)0.64  (0.41 to 0.99)
7–8. Production work130975  0.95  (0.75 to 1.21)0.96  (0.75 to 1.23)
 71. Sewing work43717  0.65  (0.40 to 1.05)0.63  (0.37 to 1.05)
 88. Packing, freight handling and storage work22715  1.09  (0.65 to 1.81)1.08  (0.63 to 1.83)
90–94. Service work2877163  0.88  (0.74 to 1.04)0.93  (0.78 to 1.11)
 91. Housekeeping and related service work154884  0.84  (0.67 to 1.05)0.89  (0.70 to 1.12)
 92. Waiters and waitresses20314  1.11  (0.66 to 1.89)1.13  (0.65 to 1.96)
 93. Caretaking and cleaning work69439  0.89  (0.65 to 1.23)0.95  (0.68 to 1.34)
 94. Other service work38121  0.88  (0.57 to 1.36)0.91  (0.58 to 1.42)
98. Armed forces40  -  --  -
99. Workers reporting occupations unidentifiable or inadequately described1809  0.76  (0.40 to 1.47)0.84  (0.44 to 1.63)

  • *Occupational group coded according to FOB80 (Population and Housing Census 1980). All occupational sectors at main level (1-digit) are presented and occupational groups larger than 100 women at 2-digit level and occupational groups at 3-digit level larger than 100 women, which showed significantly elevated/reduced HRs.

  • †The same women can be included up to three times. 14 119 women had 16 013 working periods longer than 10 years.

  • ‡HR for breast cancer in each respective occupation versus all other occupations. Adjusted for age.

  • §Adjusted for age, parity, age at first child, months of breast feeding per child, hormonal replacement therapy, physical activity, alcohol consumption, height and body mass index.

  • ¶White-collar workers: occupational sectors 0, 1, 2, 3.

  • **Blue-collar workers: occupational sectors 4, 5, 6, 7–8, 90–94, 98.

  • ††Theoretical subjects are subjects that do not demand physical involvement, for example, natural and social sciences, languages and maths.

  • HR > 1.29

  • HR 1.20–1.29

  • HR 1.10–1.19

  • HR 1.00–1.09

  • HR 0.90–0.99

  • HR 0.80–0.89

  • HR 0.70–0.79

  • HR < 0.69