Work-related stress is not linked tothe development of breast, lung, colorectal or prostate cancers, a new study has claimed.

Around 90% of cancers are linked to environmental exposures and while some exposures are well recognised (such as UV radiation and tobacco smoke), others are not (psychological factors such as stress).

Stress can cause chronic inflammation which has been shown to have various roles in the development of cancer, plus stressed individuals are more likely to smoke, consume excessive amounts of alcohol and be obese - all of which are cancer risk factors.

Results showed that 5,765 out of 116,056 (5%) participants developed some form of cancer in the average 12-year follow-up.

Researchers found no evidence of an association between job strain and overall cancer risk. They suggested that many of the previously reported associations may have been chance findings or influenced by possible unmeasured common causes of stress and cancer.