Dr. Joel Brind, Professor of Human Biology and Endocrinology at the City University of New York, remarks below on the stubborn editorial bias within his field against any link between induced abortions and breast cancer. This favors defendants, as expert witnesses will be able to cite "consensus in the literature" that no link has been proven. But it could change, and definitely bears further monitoring.
“Is there any evidence for an association between induced abortion and breast cancer?”
By Joel Brind
Dr. Joel Brind is a biochemist who has specialised in reproductive steroid hormones and their links to human diseases since 1972. In a paper given at Newman House in Birmingham, England in October 2005, he said he discovered a link between breast cancer and induced abortion in published research going back to 1957.
Since that time, he has devoted much of his research to promoting awareness to what has become known as the “ABC link”. In 1996, along with colleagues from the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, he published a comprehensive review and meta-analysis on the ABC link in the British Medical Association's epidemiological journal.(1)
In 1999, along with three physician colleagues, he founded the non-profit Breast Cancer Prevention Institute in Poughkeepsie, New York. He was later appointed to a federal advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) on early detection and control of breast and cervical cancer.
A criticism sometimes levelled at the link is that it was based on certain reporting bias on the part of women suffering breast cancer. On the other hand, other studies purporting to show no linkage, were flawed in various ways.
One large British study of recent years was a meta-analysis based on 52 studies, when in fact only 41 of them had been published, and others had been eliminated for no valid scientific reason.
In another, the percentage of women in a large study in Oxford who had had admitted to having an induced abortion, was only a fraction of the nationally accepted proportion of women who have an induced abortion, thus calling into question the study`s benign conclusions.
In a Scottish study, although computerized medical records were available, they had been selectively interpreted with significant groups of women eliminated, notably teenagers who had had induced abortions, which called the conclusions into question.
Throughout research on any link with induced abortion, a strong editorial bias seems to have been exercised towards supporting the status quo of current abortion practice. There appeared to be a basic presumption that there is no risk and a selective removal of the evidence pointing the other way. A study in Australia which was based on fuller evidence, had simply published incomplete results.
The epidemiological risk is associated with an increase in the levels of estrogen. This is increased 2,000 fold in the first trimester and it stimulates breast changes leading to rapid growth and an increase in Type 1 and 2 breast lobules. These are less stable than the later Type 3 and 4 lobules in the mature breast. Thus a term pregnancy protects against the development of breast cancer.
In fact, a natural miscarriage is not associated with an increase risk of breast cancer since miscarriages are associated with low levels of estrogen. About 23% of pregnancies end in a natural miscarriage, 90% of which occur in the first trimester. Miscarriages in the second trimester can increase risk of breast cancer.
Induced abortion in the first trimester, and even more so the second or third trimester, are associated with high estrogen levels and a persistence of the less stable and more rapidly growing type 1 and 2 breast lobules. This risk is highest in teenagers having an induced abortion in the late first or second trimester. There is also an increased risk in women who deliver prematurely before 32 weeks and women who have never had a full term pregnancy.
A quotation from the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute publication “Breast Cancer, risks and prevention”, says
“Over the last thirty years, whilst most major cancers have started to decline, breast cancer incidences in the US has increased by an alarming 40%. Most of this increase has occurred in the author's generation, the generation of “Women's Lib.” (2)
Refs;
(1)
Brind J, Chinchilli VM, Severs WB, Summary-Long J, Induced abortion as an independent risk factor for breast cancer: a comprehensive review and meta-analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health 1996;50:481 - 496
(2)
“Breast Cancer, risks and prevention”
Angela Lanfrachi, MD., F.A.C.S., Joel Brind, Ph. D
Published by
Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, 9 Vassar St., Poughkeepsie. NY
No comments:
Post a Comment