Scientific research does not support a link between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer later in life, researchers at a National Cancer Institute workshop said on Wednesday at the conclusion of the meeting, USA Today reports. Participants said that most of the studies that had indicated a connection between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer were "flawed" (Rubin, USA Today, 2/27). Almost all of the approximately 100 epidemiologists, clinicians and other scientists at the "Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer" workshop "quickly agreed," saying that although some early, smaller studies had shown an increased risk of breast cancer among women who had had abortions, larger and better-designed studies did not indicate a link, the Chicago Tribune reports. According to the researchers, "recall bias" compromised the results of the earlier studies (Peres, Chicago Tribune, 2/27). For example, women with breast cancer who are "eager for an explanation" would be more willing to report a previous abortion than healthy women in a control group (USA Today, 2/27). The group of researchers will present a final statement to NCI's board of scientific advisers on Monday, according to the Tribune (Peres, Chicago Tribune, 2/27). If the board approves the report, NCI will consider updating the fact sheet posted on its Web site, which states that the current research on the possible connection between abortion and increased breast cancer risk is "inconclusive," according to USA Today (USA Today, 2/27). Before the meeting, some women's health advocates expressed concern that the conference would focus on "abortion politics, not science" in the debate over a possible link between breast cancer and pregnancy termination, saying that the conference was "the latest case of the Bush administration's skewing the nation's medical research agenda to please its conservative allies" (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/24). However, NCI Director Andrew von Eschenbach opened the conference on Monday saying that "science, not politics" encouraged him to convene the conference. He added, "I believe it is my responsibility to see that all information provided by [NCI] to the community is scientifically accurate and correct."

Other Conference Findings
The conference's final statement also found that delivering a full-term infant "at an early age," as well as long-term breastfeeding, decreases a woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. However, before it begins to decline, a woman's risk of developing breast cancer increases for "at least several years" immediately following delivery. In addition, the report concluded that a woman who does not deliver an infant until age 33 has the same risk of breast cancer as a woman who does not give birth at all during her lifetime. Researchers said it was unclear how pregnancy and breastfeeding lower breast cancer risk, the Tribune reports (Peres, Chicago Tribune, 2/27). Cynthia Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network, said, "If we can figure out why (a full-term pregnancy cuts risk), then maybe we can figure out a way to mimic it" (USA Today, 2/27).

NPR's "All Things Considered" yesterday reported on the workshop's finding that there is no link between abortion and increased risk of breast cancer. The segment includes comments from von Eschenbach; Joel Brind, a City University of New York biochemist, who was the only dissenter at the conference; epidemiologist Leslie Bernstein of the University of Southern California; Daniel Medina of Baylor College of Medicine; and Robert Smith of the American Cancer Society (Silberner, "All Things Considered," NPR, 2/26). The full segment is available in RealPlayer online.