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2009: A Year in which More
Studies Confirmed Link Between Induced Abortion and an Increased Risk of Breast Cancer Part Two of Three Editor's note. The following is adapted from an article from the website of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute. The author is Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, BCPI's new President. As outgoing President Dr. Joel Brind noted, "Dr. Lanfranchi has been the driving force for our major projects in recent years, including the ABC link video and the booklet, "Breast Cancer Risks and Prevention."'
As Dr. Brind wrote in our October 2009 BCPI Report, a Turkish study by Dr. Vahit Ozmen and colleagues found (as other studies had done previously) a statistically significant increased risk factor for breast cancer for women who have undergone an induced abortion. In this study the increased risk was 66%. In addition to that study, there were two other studies published last year that also matter of factly listed induced abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer. One was from China, published in Medical Oncology, by Xing and Li in September 2009. … However, the study which created the most "buzz" in the popular press was also published in April 2009 in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. In the section under "Results" the authors stated: "In analyses of all 897 breast cancer cases (subtypes combined), the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for examined risk factors were consistent with the effects observed in previous studies (Table 1). Specifically, older age, family history of breast cancer, earlier menarche, age, induced abortion, and oral contraceptive use were associated with an increased risk for breast cancer." (Boldface added.) Yet it wasn't these findings that created the "buzz." The "buzz" was caused because one on the authors was Louise A. Brinton, who is in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This was the same Louise Brinton who was a leader of the NCI's 2003 Workshop on Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer Risk, the workshop that had concluded that there was soooooo NOT a link between abortion and breast cancer that there should not be any more studies done on the subject. Earlier this year Canadian MP, Maurice Vellacott, issued a press release saying he had been vindicated for having asked me in 2006 to give a talk on Parliament Hill on the subject of the ABC Link, for which he was greatly criticized. A skeptical Canadian press reporter and blogger, Gloria Galloway, e-mailed the NCI to ask Dr. Brinton to comment on the discrepancy. (See www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/was-maurice-vellacott-right-about-abortion/article1424760) The email sent to Dr. Brinton was answered by a NCI spokesman. He told Galloway (who, judging by her comments, is not pro-life) that "NCI has no comment on this study" and referred her to the web site NCI posted after the 2003 workshop (which had not been updated since it was posted in 2003). Galloway observed, "That link turns up a 2003 document that says a workshop of more than 100 leading experts concluded that having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer. Requests for an explanation of the apparent discrepancy between that position and the information contained in the study released last spring went unanswered by NCI." This was enough to cause Galloway to conclude, "And Mr. Vellacott may be right" in saying that he had been vindicated. A maelstrom ensued on various blogs, which is good. When the truth about the link between induced abortion and breast cancer becomes more widely known, it will free some women from those risks. All women deserve the right to know what scientists already know. Without the truth there can be no informed consent. Please send all of your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like join those who are now following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
