The administrative court of Marseille has recognized a direct link between the breast cancer developed by a nurse and her nearly 25 years of working night shifts. The court ruled that the illness should be considered a work-related injury and overturned a 2021 decision by the Martigues hospital center that had refused this recognition.
The nurse, diagnosed in 2014, had worked exclusively night shifts for nearly a quarter of a century, with approximately 140 nights of work per year. The court emphasizes that the main known risk factors were low or absent in her case, which strengthens the likelihood of a link to her working conditions.
A decision based on scientific studies
In its ruling, the court noted that several scientific studies, dating back to 2007, highlighted the effects of night work on female hormonal functions, which may increase the risk of breast cancer. It concluded that in this case, there was a sufficiently high probability to establish a link between the illness and the work performed.
Thanks to this recognition, the nurse will be eligible for compensation in the form of an annuity calculated according to her disability rating. Decisions of this type remain rare in France, although several similar cases have been initiated in recent years by hospital staff exposed to night work.
