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Abortions and breast cancer: record-based case-control study.

Gunnar Erlandsson1, Scott M Montgomery, Sven Cnattingius

  • 1Department of Medical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Gunnar.Erlandsson@mep.ki.se

International Journal of Cancer
|December 21, 2002
PubMed
Summary

A history of abortions, whether induced or spontaneous, does not increase breast cancer risk. In fact, pregnancies, regardless of outcome, may offer a protective effect against breast cancer development.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Oncology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Previous studies on abortion and breast cancer risk show conflicting results, potentially due to methodological differences.
  • Concerns exist that abortions may leave breast epithelium in a proliferative state, increasing cancer susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between induced and spontaneous abortions and the risk of subsequent breast cancer.
  • To clarify contradictory findings in existing literature using a robust study design.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study utilizing prospectively recorded data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (1973-1991).
  • Cases were identified via linkage to the Swedish Cancer Register; controls were randomly selected.
  • Information on abortions and confounders was abstracted from antenatal care records.

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Main Results:

  • A reduced risk of breast cancer was observed in women with at least one abortion (adjusted OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72-0.99).
  • The risk decreased with an increasing number of abortions, reaching 0.59 (95% CI = 0.34-1.03) for three or more abortions.
  • Similar patterns were noted for both induced and spontaneous abortions.

Conclusions:

  • Neither induced nor spontaneous abortions are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
  • Pregnancy outcomes, irrespective of abortion, appear to have a protective effect against breast cancer.