The Backlash! - October 1996

Organization News - Cancer Awareness Canada
Vancouver, Canada

Abortion and Breast Cancer

Is there a correlation between induced abortions and incidence of breast cancer?

by Mike Richmond

There is a heated debate as to whether induced abortion is a credible breast cancer risk factor. Joel Brind, PhD (professor of biology and endocrinology at Baruch College, NYC) and AUL (Americans United for Life) have made specific claims (manual: Abortion-Breast Cancer Act Legislation Guide, p. 19):
  1. There have been Twelve (pre-February 1996) published case/control studies of A-B-C (Abortion-Breast-Cancer) that achieve significance (i.e. at least 95% confidence of either increased or decreased risk).

  2. One study (Burany, 1979) reported that induced abortion decreases BC risk.

  3. Eleven studies found that induced abortion increases BC risk.1
On the issue of whether induced abortion is a risk factor, the public requires more than a vague "some studies say 'yes' and some say 'no'." If a radio sportscaster only said that the Yankees have scored some runs and the Red Socks have some runs too, the fans would not be impressed. The American Cancer Society would provide a truly excellent service, if it would provide an objective 'scorecard' on the A-B-C case/control studies. Please tell Cancer Awareness Canada if you agree with the three Brind/AUL findings listed above. If not, please supply us with your list of significant (i.e. at least 95% confident of either increased or drecreased risk) A-B-C case/control studies and also tell us:
  1. which studies in your list support a decreased BC risk.

  2. which studies in your list support an increased risk of breast cancer.
Many thanks, in advance, for providing the public with objective information on this important question. If A-B-C is a false scare, it should be clearly refuted by the facts.
Appendix: The 12 [pre-February 1996] A-B-C case/control studies that achieved significance:
  1. Burany B (1979), Gestational characteristics in women with breast cancer. Jugosl Ginekol Opstet 19:237-247 (in Serbo-Croatian); induced abortion decreases breast cancer risk.

  2. Daling JR, et al. (1994), Risk of breast cancer among young women: Relationship to induced abortion. J Natl Cancer Inst 86:1584-1592. Women who have an induced abortion before age 18 have an increased breast cancer risk of 150%.

  3. Ewertz M, Duffy SW (1988), Risk of breast cancer in relation to reproductive factors in Denmark. Br J Cancer 58:99-104. Induced abortion increases BC risk by 285%.

  4. Howe HL, et al. (1989), Early abortion and breast cancer risk among women under age 40. Int J Epidemiology 18:300-304. Induced abortion increased BC risk by 90%.

  5. Laing AE, et al. (1993), Breast cancer risk factors in African-American women: The Howard University Tumor Registry Experience. J Natl Med Assoc 85:931-939. Black women of age 50 or older who had at least one induced abortion have an increased BC risk of 370%.

  6. Le MG, et al. (1984), Oral contraceptive use and breast or cervical cancer: Prelimanary results of a French case-control study. In: Wolff J-P, Scott JS, eds. Hormones and sexual factors in human cancer etiology. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 139- 147. induced abortion increases breast cancer risk.

  7. Lipworth L, et al. (1995), Abortion and risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in Greece. Int J Cancer 61:181-184. Induced abortion before first full-term pregnancy increases BC risk by 106%.

  8. Newcomb PA, et al. (1995), Pregnancy termination in relation to risk of breast cancer. Am J Epidemiology 141:S54 (abstract #215). Induced abortion increases BC risk by 23%.

  9. Nishiyama F (1982), The epidemiology of breast cancer in Tokushima Prefecture. Shikoku Ichi 38:333-343 (in Japanese). Induced abortion increases BC risk.

  10. Pike MC, et al. (1981), Oral contraceptive use and early abortion as risk factors for breast cancer in young women. Br J Cancer 43:72-76. Induced abortion before first full-term pregnancy increases breast cancer risk by 140%.

  11. Rookus MA (1995), Breast cancer risk after induced abortion: A Dutch case-control study. Am J Epidemiological 141:S54 (abstract #214). Induced abortion increases BC risk by 90%.

  12. Segi M, et al. (1957), An epidemiological study on cancer in Japan. GANN 48 (Suppl): 1:63. INDUCED abortion increases breast cancer risk.
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