Researcher Finally Admits Abortion Raises Breast Cancer Risk In Study That Fingers Oral Contraceptives As A Probable Cause Of Breast Cancer
Main Category: Breast CancerAlso Included In: Cancer / Oncology; Abortion
Article Date: 07 Jan 2010 - 10:00 PDT
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Less than two months since the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force issued new guidelines recommending against routine mammograms for women in their forties, a second breast cancer scandal involving a U.S. government panel of experts has come to light which has implications for healthcare reform.
An April 2009 study by Jessica Dolle et al. of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center examining the relationship between oral contraceptives (OCs) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in women under age 45 contained an admission from U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) researcher Louise Brinton and her colleagues (including Janet Daling) that abortion raises breast cancer risk by 40%. [1]
Additionally, Dolle's team showed that women who start OCs before age 18 multiply their risk of TNBC by 3.7 times and recent users of OCs within the last one to five years multiply their risk by 4.2 times. TNBC is an aggressive form of breast cancer associated with high mortality.
"Although the study was published nine months ago," observed Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, "the NCI, the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and other cancer fundraising businesses have made no efforts to reduce breast cancer rates by issuing nationwide warnings to women."
Brinton was the chief organizer of the 2003 NCI workshop on the abortion-breast cancer link, which falsely assured women that the non-existence of the link was "well established." [2]
Dolle's team reported in Table 1 a statistically significant 40% risk increase for women who have had abortions. They listed abortion among "known and suspected risk factors."
Brinton and Daling had previously studied this population from the Seattle-Puget Sound area in the 1990s and reported risk increases between 20% and 50% among women with abortions. [3,4] In the 2009 study, they and their co-authors wrote that their findings concerning induced abortion, OC use and certain other risk factors, "were consistent with the effects observed in previous studies on younger women."
"Obviously, more women will die of breast cancer if the NCI fails in its duty to warn about the risks of OCs and abortion and if government funds are used to pay for both as a part of any healthcare bill," said Mrs. Malec.
A brief analysis of the study (click here) , Dolle et al. 2009, was provided by Dr. Joel Brind, professor of biology and endocrinology and deputy chair for biology at Baruch College, City University of New York.
Last year, studies from Turkey and China also reported statistically significant risk increases for women who had abortions. [5,6]
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.
References:
1. Dolle J, Daling J, White E, Brinton L, Doody D, et al. Risk factors for triple-negative breast cancer in women under the age of 45 years. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(4)1157-1166.
2. "Summary Report: Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer," U.S. National Cancer Institute, March 4, 2003. Available here.
3. Daling JR, Malone DE, Voigt LF, White E, Weiss NS. Risk of breast cancer among young women: relationship to induced abortion. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994;86:1584-1592. White E, Malone KE, Weiss NS, Daling JR. Breast cancer among young US women in relation to oral contraceptive use. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994;86:505-514.
4. Daling JR, Brinton LA, Voigt LF, et al. Risk of breast cancer among white women following induced abortion. Am J Epidemiol 1996;144:373-380.
5. Ozmen V, Ozcinar B, Karanlik H, Cabioglu N, Tukenmez M, et al. Breast cancer risk factors in Turkish women - aUniversity Hospital based nested case control study. World J of Surg Oncol 2009;7:37.
6. Xing P, Li J, Jin F. A case-control study of reproductive factors associated with subtypes of breast cancer in Northeast China. Humana Press, e-publication online September 2009.
Source
Abortion Breast Cancer
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MLA
13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/175394.php>
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/175394.php.
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (6)
That Abortion/breast Cancer Group
posted by Julie LaBomascus on 9 Jan 2010 at 7:22 pmIsn't that Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer an anti-abortion group? If so, I am very surprised you'd quote a special interest group like that.
Bad Reporting - the word "abortion" only shows up once in the article
posted by MomTFH on 24 Feb 2010 at 12:08 pmYes, and the word "abortion" only shows up once in the article, and the p value on the association was 0.83. There is a reason why there was no other mention of abortion in the abstract or discussion. This is not statistically significant or valid.
Biased report-- very disappointed in MNT!
posted by prochoicedoula on 9 Jul 2010 at 12:49 pmI've received up-to-date, legitimate research findings from Medical News Today for over two years now. However, I am appalled to find this article amongst the usual all-research reporting. As mentioned above, the studies cited show no significant increase in breast cancer risk in abortion patients. Also mentioned above, the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is not an unbiased medical research organization. Studies can *always* be manipulated to prove something, data can be misinterpreted, and the Coalition on Abortion and Breast Cancer has a long history of such activity. I'm shocked and disappointed to see this at Medical News Today.
if there is a link...
posted by Monica on 14 Oct 2010 at 8:58 amIf a link between oral contraceptives is proven, this would be a good opportunity to address the breast cancer issue in conjunction with the environmental issue of all the artificial hormones washing into the oceans.
Thank you
posted by Christine on 14 Oct 2010 at 5:45 pmFinally someone who is not afraid to report these findings. This is not the only study to find a link between abortion/OC and breast cancer. Studies in Iran (see April 3,2010 issue of "Medical Oncology."), Sri Lanka,US, China, and Turkey just in the last 18 months alone have confirmed this study's findings. I am still at a loss to understand why this is not more widely publicized. Women need to be informed. We can't keep burying our head in the sand.
legitimate research
posted by therese on 10 Feb 2011 at 1:09 pmFor those such as prochoicedoula who dismiss the credibility of this research, please take note. The cancer research journal that published this, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, is one of the most prestigious cancer journals. The research team is just as respected, recognized as one of best in the field.
In 2003 when researcher Briton dismissed an ABC link at the NCI conference, everyone loved her. But now, when she must admit the science speaks differently, and goes on record with this study affirming the ABC link, the same crowd now dismisses her. Who is the biased one here?
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