Exposure to second-hand smoke and breast cancer risk in non-smoking women: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

Through the use of an innovative method to identify original publications, we conducted a meta-analysis of all epidemiological studies evaluating the association between second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure and breast cancer risk among female non-smokers published in English up to October 2022. Pooled relative risks (RR) were obtained through the use of random-effects models. Dose–response relationships were derived using log-linear functions. Out of 73 identified eligible studies, 63 original articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RR for breast cancer for overall exposure to SHS was 1.24 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.15–1.34, number of articles, n = 52). Regarding the setting of exposure, RRs were 1.17 (95% CI 1.08–1.27, n = 37) for SHS exposure at home, 1.03 (95% CI 0.98–1.08, n = 15) at the workplace, 1.24 (95% CI 1.11–1.37, n = 16) at home or workplace, and 1.45 (95% CI 1.16–1.80, n = 13) for non-specified settings. The risk of breast cancer increased linearly with higher duration (RR 1.29; 95% CI 1.04–1.59 for 40 years of SHS exposure, n = 12), intensity (RR 1.38; 95% CI 1.14–1.67 for 20 cigarettes of SHS exposure per day, n = 6), and pack-years (RR 1.50; 95% CI 0.92–2.45 for 40 SHS pack-years, n = 6) of SHS exposure. This meta-analysis shows a statistically significant excess risk of breast cancer in women exposed to SHS.