A 2022 small study from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery shows that female orthopedic surgeons suffer from breast cancer at higher rates than the general population.
This study confirms similar results from research conducted in 2010 and 2012.
The study, published in May, collected data from 672 female orthopedic surgeons in national specialty societies between February 2019 and February 2020, 51 of whom reported being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 20 of whom reported being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The prevalence of breast cancer diagnoses among female orthopedic surgeons was 189 percent higher than the average woman in the U.S.
The study also found that female orthopedic surgeons have a 1.89-fold higher risk of developing all-cause cancer.
Authors of the study attribute higher breast cancer rates to factors including exposure to ionizing radiation, delayed childbearing age and lower parity.