A record-based evaluation of induced abortion and breast cancer risk (United States)

Previous studies of induced abortion and breast cancer may have been limited by differential reporting of abortion history. We conducted a population-based case-control study to evaluate abortion (both induced and spontaneous) and breast cancer risk.

All study subjects were aged 20-69 years and members of Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (GHC). Incident invasive breast cancer cases (n = 138) were identified from the linkage between the GHC enrollment file and the Seattle-Puget Sound SEER Cancer Registry. Controls (n = 252) were randomly selected from GHC enrollment files and matched to cases on age and enrollment period. All subjects had to have been enrolled at GHC for the 2 years preceding diagnosis (cases) or reference (controls) date. The unified medical record of each case was abstracted for pregnancy history, including prior induced and spontaneous abortions, menopause status, height and weight, screening practices, and other risk factors.

Compared to all women who had never had an induced abortion, the multivariate adjusted relative risk of breast cancer in women with an induced abortion was 0.9 (95% confidence interval 0.5-1.6). This risk was similar in parous women, and nulliparous women. There was no association between spontaneous abortion and breast cancer risk.

These results do not support a relation between induced abortion and breast cancer incidence.