Q: I read that breast cancer in a woman can result from a history of an abortion. Is this part of your screening? Is this knowledge being shared with women?
Answer from the expert staff of the Ruth J. Spear Breast Center at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center: In February 2003 the National Cancer Institute (NCI) gathered the world’s leading experts on pregnancy and breast cancer risk to examine scientific evidence surrounding this controversial issue. These researchers concluded that a past abortion does not increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.
The NCI organized this workshop because research studies conducted over the past four decades had produced inconsistent results. Over the years many researchers had sought to determine whether an interruption of pregnancy-related hormonal activity could put a woman at risk of developing breast cancer. Their studies involved small numbers of women, some who had breast cancer and some who did not, who were asked in personal interviews if they had ever had an abortion. Some studies found a link between abortion and breast cancer, while others did not.
A closer examination revealed a likely explanation for the disparity. Because abortion is an intensely personal and emotionally charged experience, it is not something all women are equally willing to discuss. Those study participants with breast cancer may have been more willing to tell interviewers about a past abortion because they had a vested interest in examining every possible cause for a disease that had touched their lives directly.
More recent studies conducted with large groups of women and employing medical records instead of personal interviews have consistently found no association between abortion and breast cancer.
Editor's note: As a Catholic-sponsored health system, Providence follows the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. We do not provide abortions within our facilities.
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May 2003
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