NCI Scientific Panel Concludes Abortion Has No Impact on Breast Cancer Risk

By Rachael Myers Lowe, cancerpage.com

(March 3, 2003) - A scientific panel of the National Cancer Institute has concluded there is no connection between abortion and risk of breast cancer; having had an abortion neither raises nor reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.

National Cancer Institute director Andrew von Eschenbach convened a “state of the science” meeting last week to examine scientific evidence concerning abortion and breast cancer after concerns were raised about “conflicts and uncertainties” in the data used to develop a fact sheet on the topic posted on the NCI web site. That fact sheet was taken off the web site soon after Dr. von Eschenbach took over the Institute.

“I wanted to be absolutely precise and emphatic about having the best scientific information before making any statements,” von Eschenbach told a joint meeting of the Institutes Board of Scientific Advisors and Board of Scientific Counselors today.

The Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer Risk Workshop looked at population studies, research results from clinical settings as well as animal research.

From this work they felt highly confident in stating several facts:

• Women who have their first child at an early age have a decreased risk of breast cancer.
• Breast cancer risk is about the same for women who don’t have children and those whose first birth is after age 30. 
• More children translate into an even lower risk of developing breast cancer although age at first birth is the most significant factor.
• Women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer for a “brief” period of time after the birth of a child.
• Induced abortion is not associated with increased breast cancer risk.
• The longer a woman breast-feeds has a small association with a decreased breast cancer risk.

Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D., of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, presented the findings. In an interview with reporters after the advisory board briefing, she said even though the findings clearly show that “the biggest bang for the buck is the first birth and the younger you are the better off you are, ” women should not necessarily make life-altering decisions based on these findings.

“There are so many other messages we can give women about lifestyle modification and the impact of lifestyle and risk that I would never be a proponent of going around and telling them that having babies is the way to reduce your risk.”
(To listen to Bernstein"s remarks, click here.)

The findings would appear to remove the issue of breast cancer risk from the debate over abortion.
“I don’t want the issue relating to induced abortion to breast cancer risk to be part of mix of the discussion of induced abortion, its legality, its continued availability.  I think it should not be part of the argument,” Bernstein says.  (To hear more of Bernstein"s remarks, click here)

The findings conclude there are many gaps in knowledge about reproduction and breast cancer risk. More study is recommended, for instance, to find out why pregnancy at an early age reduces breast cancer risk, what are the mechanisms at work, and why breast-feeding reduces risk as well as does the gender of the baby affect risk and what impact do multiple births have on risk.

The findings of the Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer Risk Workshop will now be open for public comment as the NCI decides what definitive statements to make about cancer risk and abortion.

Karen Malec, the president of the organization Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer accuses the National Cancer Institute of scientific misconduct and rejects the findings as invalid. In a press released posted on the organization"s web site last week, at the conclusion og the workshop sessions, she said "Women aren’t stupid. We can connect the dots. If a full term pregnancy protects against breast cancer and childlessness raises risk, then logically an abortion will raise risk." Malek accuses NCI and other organizations of concealing the existence of ongoing research dating back to 1957 which shows abortion raises breast cancer risk 90%.

SOURCES:

• cancerpage.com coverage of joint meeting of NCI"s Boards of Scientific Advisors and  Scientific Counselors. 3-3-03
• Interview with Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D.3-3-03
• Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer web site.
• Telephone interview with Karen Malec, 3-3-03