(August 26, 2008) Women
in Berwyn, Cicero, La Grange and surrounding
communities might want to learn more before
making a decision for abortion — it is
linked to breast cancer, according to various
researchers who cite numerous studies to
back their claims.
A “higher risk of future breast cancer in women with abortion versus pregnancy and delivery has been consistently reported in medical literature since 1970,” researcher Dr. Joel Brind told the House of Commons in Parliament in London last year.
Brind, Professor of Human Biology and Endocrinology and a researcher at City University of New York, cited 22 studies in his report, delivered in August 2007 to the Select Committee on Science and Technology.
He told the group, “It is therefore likely that providing full and accurate information on the effect of abortion in raising future breast cancer risk … is likely to reduce the abortion rate substantially.”
This type of finding is disputed by organizations such as the National Cancer Institute (NCI), who in 2003 asked more than 100 physicians to study the link between induced abortion and breast cancer. The NCI stated that the study, known as the “Summary Report: Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer Workshop” found that “having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer.”
However, the NCI study was challenged by Angela Lanfranchi, M.D., who, writing in the Spring 2008 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, claimed that the study was biased. Lanfranchi, clinical assistant professor of surgery at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, noted that the interruption of pregnancy by induced abortion increases the risk of breast cancer.
Lanfranchi says that breast cells called lobules normally mature throughout a pregnancy, and progress from being cancer-vulnerable cells to those that, because of an increased level of hormones, become cancer-resistant. “If her pregnancy goes to full term, she will have lower breast cancer risk by developing full breast maturity. If it ends before 32 weeks, by very premature birth or induced abortion, she will have increased risk as she will not get the benefit of full breast maturation, but instead be left with more places for breast cancer to start,” Lanfranchi states in a pamphlet published by the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute.
The news serves as a caution to women in Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, Westchester, Broadview, Brookfield, and other nearby Illinois communities, who need to learn about the complications of various kinds of abortions before deciding whether to terminate their pregnancies. They can call WomanCare Services in Berwyn at 708-795-6000.
Sources
“Scientific Developments Relating to the Effect of Abortion on Risk of Future Breast Cancer,” Dr. Joel Brind, Memorandum to Parliament, August 2007.
“Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk,” National Cancer Institute FactSheet.
“The Federal Government and Academic Texts as Barriers to Informed Consent,” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Spring 2008.
“Breast Cancer: Risks and Prevention,” Fourth Edition, Angela Lanfranchi, M.D.
| Please call us to make an appointment for a free pregnancy test at (708) 795-6000. |
Serving clients in Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, Riverside, North Riverside, Forest View, Lyons, Brookfield, La Grange, Westchester, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Bellwood, Maywood, Melrose Park, River Forest, Oak Park and Forest Park, IL and other areas.
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