Does your shift at work put you at a greater risk for developing cancer?

The answer may surprise you in that studies are finding that late-night exposure to light may diminish levels of a natural cancer-fighting hormone. Dr. David Blask, professor of the practice in the Tulane University School of Medicine Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, is a widely acclaimed expert on cancer biology, circadian rhythms and the health implications of exposure to light.

In the early 1980s, Blask was one of only a handful of scientists studying regulation of breast cancer development and growth by melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland during sleep in the darkness of night. Melatonin modulates many of the body's natural circadian rhythms, including the sleep/wake cycle, and has been shown to have important anti-cancer properties…