Some doctors admit abortion/breast cancer link

Dr. Angela Lafranchi, a medical school professor, on the medical community’s silence regarding the abortion-breast cancer link:

“(s)ome (doctors) have been straightforward and said they know it is a risk factor but felt it was ‘too political’ to speak about. Others have been evasive…. Some have been openly hostile…. Some initially hostile doctors… debated it with me and have changed their minds…. “(t)here is overwhelming and convincing evidence that abortion and breast cancer are linked, along with a well-described biologic mechanism. Twenty-eight out of 37 studies have shown this and women still don’t know. Not only embarrassment and denial, but also fear of malpractice litigation causes doctors to continue to ignore these data. How can an abortionist not be held liable for increasing a woman’s risk of breast cancer and not telling her?”

Malec, Karen. “The Abortion-Breast Cancer Link: How Politics Trumped Science and Informed Consent.” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons 8(2), Summer 2003, pp. 41-45.

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Professor of Endocrinology gives warning about abortion and breast cancer

In a letter to David Kessler, M.D., Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, January 27, 1993, Joel Brind PhD., Baruch College, Professor of Endocrinology wrote:

..This letter is to bring to your attention a serious public health hazard associated with use of RU-486 and other anti-progestational steroids as abortifacients, namely, a markedly increased risk of breast cancer. To the best of my knowledge this issue has not been raised in any government hearings….despite the fact that increased risk of breast cancer associated with abortion of first pregnancy is well established in the literature….

What is the magnitude of the breast cancer hazard inherent in abortion? A review of relevant literature… puts the relative risk of abortion of first pregnancy at between 1.5 – 2, over and above the increased risk resulting from delaying first full-term pregnancy by any means. (For multiple abortions relative risks estimates range as high as 4 or 5.)

Quoted in “ABORTION A Briefing Book For Canadian Legislators” Campaign Life Coalition NATIONAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE July 2002

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Studies that link abortion to breast cancer

Here are a list of studies that show that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer. They are in chronological order:

Segi M, et al. An epidemiological study on cancer in Japan. GANN. 48 1957;1–63.

Watanabe H, et al. Epidemiology and clinical aspects of breast cancer. [in Japanese], Nippon Rinsho 26, no. 8. 1968;1843–1849.

Dvoyrin VV, et al. Role of women’s reproductive status in the development of breast cancer. Methods and Progress in Breast cancer Epidemiology Research Tallin 1978;53-63.

Pike MC, et al. Oral contraceptive use and early abortion as risk factors for breast cancer in young women. Br J Cancer 43, no. 1. 1981;72-6.

Nishhiyama, F. The epidemiology of breast cancer in Tokushima prefecture. Shikoku Ichi 1982; 38:333-43 (in Japanese).

Brinton LA, et al. Reproductive factors in the etiology of breast cancer. Br J Cancer 47, no. 6. 1983:757-762.

Le M-G, Bachelot A, et al. Oral contraceptive use and breast or cervical cancer: Preliminary results of a case-control study In: Wolff J-P, Scott JS, eds. Hormones and sexual factors in human cancer aetiology. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1984:139-47.

Hirohata T, et al. Occurrence of breast cancer in relation to diet and reproductive history: a case-control study in Fukuoka, Japan. Natl Cancer Inst Monographs 69 1985:187-90.

LaVecchia C, et al. General epidemiology of breast cancer in northern Italy. Intl J of Epidemiol. 1987;16 3:347-355.

Ewertz M, et al. Risk of breast cancer in relation to reproductive factors in Denmark. Br J Cancer 58, no. 1 1988:99-104.

Luporsi E. (1988), in Andrieu N, Duffy SW, Rohan TE, Le MG, Luporsi E, Gerber M, Renaud R, Zaridze DG, Lifanova Y, Day NE. Familial risk, abortion and their interactive effect on the risk of breast cancer—a combined analysis of six case-control studies. Br J Cancer 1995;72:744-751.

Zaridze DG. (1988) in Andrieu N, Duffy SW, Rohan TE, Le MG, Luporsi E, Gerber M, Renaud R, Zaridze DG, Lifanova Y, Day NE. Familial risk, abortion and their interactive effect on the risk of breast cancer—a combined analysis of six case-control studies. Br J Cancer 1995;72:744-751.

Rosenberg L, et al. Breast cancer in relation to the occurrence and the time of the induced and spontaneous abortion. Amer J Epidemiol 127, no. 5 1988:981-989.

Howe HL, et al. Early abortion and breast cancer risk among women under age 40. Intl J Epidemiol 18, no 2 1989:300-4.

Remennick L. Reproductive patterns in cancer incidence in women: A population based correlation study in the USSR. Intl J Epidemiol 1989 (18) 3:498-510.

Adami HO, et al. Absence of association between reproductive variables and the risk of breast cancer in young women in Sweden and Norway. Br J Cancer 62, no 1 1990:122–6.

Laing AE, et al. Breast cancer risk factors in African-American women: The Howard University tumor registry experience. J Natl Med Assoc 85 1993:931-939.

Andrieu N, Clavel F, Gairard B, Piana L, Bremond A, Lansac J, Flamant R, Renaud R. Familial risk of breast cancer and abortion. Cancer Detect Prevent 1994;18(1):51-55.

Daling JR, et al. Risk of breast cancer among young women: relationship to induced abortion. J Natl Cancer Inst 86, no. 21 1994;1584-92.

Laing AE, et al. Reproductive and lifestyle factors for breast cancer in African-American women. Gent Epidemiol 1994;11:A300.

White E, et al. Breast cancer among young US women in relation to oral contraceptive use. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994;86:505-14.

Andrieu N, Duffy SW, Rohan TE, Le MG, Luporsi E, Gerber M, Renaud R, Zaridze DG, Lifanova Y, Day NE. Familial risk, abortion and their interactive effect on the risk of breast cancer—a combined analysis of six case-control studies. Br J Cancer 1995;72:744-751.

Bu L, et al. Risk of breast cancer associated with induced abortion in a population at low risk of breast cancer. Amer J Epidemiol 141 1995;S85.

Lipworth L, et al. Abortion and the risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in Greece. Intl J Cancer 61, no. 2 1995;181-4.

Rookus MA, et al. Breast Cancer risk after an induced abortion, a Dutch case-control study. Amer J Epidemiol 1995;141:S54 (abstract 214).

Daling JR, Brinton LA, Voigt LF, et al. Risk of breast cancer among white women following induced abortion. Amer J Epidemiol 1996;144:373-380.

Newcomb PA, et al. Pregnancy termination in relation to risk of breast cancer. J Amer Med Assoc 275, no. 4 1996:283-287.

Rookus MA, van Leeuwan FE. Induced abortion and risk for breast cancer: reporting (recall) bias in a Dutch case-control study. J Natl Cancer Inst 1996;88:1759-1764.

Talamini, R, et al. The role of reproductive and menstrual factors in cancer of the breast before and after menopause. European J Cancer 32, no. 2 1996:303-310.

Tavani A, La Vecchia C, Franceschi S, Negri E, D’avanao B, Decarli A. Abortion and breast cancer risk. Intl J Cancer 1996;65:401-05.

Wu AH, et al. Menstrual and reproductive factors and risk of breast cancer in Asian-Americans. Br J Cancer 73, no. 5 1996:680-6.

Melbye M, et al. Induced abortion and the risk of breast cancer. N Engl J Med 336, no. 2. 1997:81-85.

Palmer J. Induced and spontaneous abortion in relation to risk of breast cancer. Cancer Causes and Control 8, no. 6 1997:841-849.

Fioretti F. Risk factors for breast cancer in nulliparous women. Br J Cancer 1999 78 (11/12) 1923-1928.

Marcus, PM, et al. Adolescent reproductive events and subsequent breast cancer risk. Amer J Public Health 89, no. 8 1999:1244-1247.

Lazovich D, et al. Induced abortion and breast cancer risk.Epidemiol 11, no. 1 2000:76-80.

Robertson C, et al. The association between induced and spontaneous abortion and risk of breast cancer in Slovenian women aged 25-54. Breast 2001;10:291-298.

Sanderson M, et al. Abortion history and breast cancer risk: Results from the Shangai Breast Cancer Study. Intl J Cancer 96, no. 6 2001:899-905.

Ye Z, et al. Breast cancer in relation to induced abortions in a cohort of Chinese women. Br J Cancer 87, no. 9. 2002:976.

Becher H, Schmidt S, Chang-Claude J. Reproductive factors and familial predisposition for breast cancer by age 50 years. A Case control family study for assessing main effects and possible gene-environment interaction. Intl J Epidemiol 2003;32:38-50.

Mahue-Giangreco M, Ursin G, Sullivan-Halley J, Bernstein L. Induced abortion, miscarriage, and breast cancer risk of young women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers & Prev 2003;12:209-214.

Meeske K, et al. Impact of reproductive factors and lactation on breast carcinomas in situ. Intl J Cancer 2004 110:103-109.

Palmer JR, et al. A prospective study of induced abortion and breast cancer in African-American women. Cancer Causes & Control 15, no. 2 2004:105-11.

Rosenblatt K. Induced abortions and the risk of all cancers combined and site-specific cancers in Shanghai. Cancer Causes and Control 17, no. 10 2006:1275-1280.

Tehranian N, et al. The effect of abortion on the risk of breast cancer. Iranian study presented at a conference at McMaster University. Available at:http://www.hdl.handle.net/10755/163877.

Naieni K, et al. Risk factors of breast cancer in north of Iran: a case-control in Mazandaran Province. Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev 8, no. 3 2007:395-8.

Henderson K. Incomplete pregnancy is not associated with breast cancer risk: the California Teachers Study. Contraception 77, no. 6 2008:391-396.

Lin, J et al. A case control study on risk factors of breast cancer among women in Cixi. Zhejiang Preventive Medicine, vol. 20, no. 6 June 2008:3-5.

Dolle J, et al. Risk Factors for Triple-negative breast cancer in women under the age of 45 years. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 18, no. 4 2009:1157–66.

Ozmen V, et al. Breast cancer risk factors in Turkish women–a University Hospital based nested case control study. World J Surgical Oncology 7, no. 37 2009.

Xing P, et al. A case–control study of reproductive factors associated with subtypes of breast cancer in Northeast China. Medical Oncology 2009

Khachatryan L, et al. Influence of diabetes mellitus type 2 and prolonged estrogen exposure on risk of breast cancer among women in Armenia. Health Care for Women Intl, no. 32 2011:953-971.

Jiang AR, et al. Abortions and breast cancer risk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Jiangsu Province of China. Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev 2012;13:33-35. Available at: http://www.apjcpcontrol.org/page/popup_paper_file_view.php?pno=MzMtMzUgMTIuMiZrY29kZT0yNzAxJmZubz0w&pgubun=i

Jiang AR, et al. Abortions and breast cancer risk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Jiangsu Province of China. Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev 2012;13:33-35. Available at: http://www.apjcpcontrol.org/page/popup_paper_file_view.php?pno=MzMtMzUgMTIuMiZrY29kZT0yNzAxJmZubz0w&pgubun=i

Yanhua, C, et al. Reproductive Variables and Risk of Breast Malignant and Benign Tumours in Yunnan Province, China. Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev 2012;13, 2179-2184.

Kamath R, et al. A study on risk factors of breast cancer among patients attending the tertiary care hospital in Udupi district. Indian J Community Med 2013;38(2)95-99.

Jabeen S, et al. Breast cancer and some epidemiological risk factors: A hospital based study, J Dhaka Med Coll 2013;22(1)61-66.

Huang, Yubei, et. al. A meta-analysis of the association between induced abortion and breast cancer risk among Chinese females. Cancer Causes Control. Cancer Causes Control Accepted Nov 11, 2013.

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