Induced Abortion as an Independent Risk Factor for Breast Cancer: A Critical Review of Recent Studies Based on Prospective Data.

• Author: Brind, Joel
• Position: Abstracts

10 J. AM. PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS 105 (Winter 2005).

Although many case-control studies, based primarily on retrospective collection of data, have shown a statistically significant increase in breast cancer after induced abortion, especially before the first full-term pregnancy, this risk is denied by the National Cancer Institute and many researchers. The conclusions of ten recent studies based on prospective data collection are cited to buttress this position. These studies are examined in detail, with a focus on methodologic aspects. Collectively, these studies are found to embody many serious weaknesses and flaws, including cohort effects, substantial misclassification errors due to missing information in...