Unit 7 post

There are so many things that I have found intriguing while researching my chosen topic of DCIS (and breast cancer as a whole). I believe the most enlightening aspect of the research has been the link to third shift work in women with breast cancer. This seems to be related to the production (or lack thereof) of melatonin from the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin is responsible for one’s internal clock that tells that person when to sleep. Most individual’s “internal clock” or pineal gland produces melatonin at night telling them to sleep when it is dark. Women and men who work third shift do not sleep as well as first and second shift workers, no matter how many years they stay on the shift. One can cover the windows of the bedroom to block out all sunlight, but somehow the body seems to know that this is not the natural time to sleep and therefore sleep patterns are often interrupted. This weakens the immune system, leaving the body open to invasion of foreign toxins, as well as leading to the body’s mutation of normal cells to cancerous ones. Mentioned in the same article claiming the high rate of breast cancer in third shift workers, was the claim that extended periods in darkness actually slows down the rate of growth of lesions. I have not been able to substantiate this claim with further research, however.

It has been suggested to me that the lack of vitamin D may also play a role in the development of breast cancer in third shift workers, though I have not been able to find a direct link in research to date. I am hoping by the time our final paper is due I will be able to further my knowledge on the topic and answer a number of questions that I still have on the topic.