ABORTION & BREAST CANCER IN THE UK

Babette Francis

Patrick Carroll, director of research, Pension and Population Research Institute, London, made a poster-presentation on “Trends and Risk Factors in English Breast Cancer” at the British Cancer Research Meeting 2004 in Manchester in late June 2004. The British Journal of Cancer Vol. 91, Supplement l, page S24, July 2004 published an ABSTRACT of his presentation. Carroll found that legally induced abortion was the best predictor of British breast cancer trends. His presentation included three graphs showing disease trends for birth cohorts of English women and corresponding incidence of breast cancer within ages 50 to 54.

Graph #1 shows that incidence and mortality rates climb with social class, unlike other cancers where the lower social classes show the higher incidence. This reverse gradient is becoming steeper.

Graph #2 demonstrates that the incidence of breast cancer among all English women in successive birth cohorts is correlated with the parallel abortion rate. (In the graph below the horizontal axis represents the birth year of the women)

Graph #3 reveals that the increasing incidence of nulliparous abortions - abortions before first full term pregnancy (FFTP) - implies a further increase in cancer incidence, and an increase among upper class women who have more nulliparous abortions. Nulliparous abortions were the best predictor of English breast cancer trends. Although upper class women have better access to health care than do lower class women, English upper class women are more likely to develop breast cancer and to die of their breast cancers than lower class women. Upper class women typically choose to pursue their careers and their educations before starting their families. They're more likely to choose to abort a pregnancy in order to postpone the birth of a first child. Abortions before FFTP are more common among upper class women, resulting in a higher risk.

Carroll said fertility was a useful predictor of breast cancer trends, but other recognized risk factors by themselves don't explain British trends as well as nulliparous abortion does. His research is free of "recall bias," a hypothetical problem used by some scientists to disparage the abortion-breast cancer (ABC) link. Despite evidence that recall bias is non-existent, proponents argue that breast cancer patients are more likely to accurately report their abortions than are healthy women. Carroll used national data reporting breast cancers and abortions in England and Wales which have good recording of breast cancers and legal abortions. Nearly all are captured by official statistics.

Carroll calls nulliparous abortions "highly carcinogenic." English upper class women are having their abortions during the most carcinogenic time in a woman's life - the time between the onset of her menstrual periods and her first full term pregnancy. This is supported by biological evidence and the rationale for the abortion-breast cancer link. His earlier research gave forecasts for the increased numbers of English breast cancers anticipated in future years using mathematical models where abortion and fertility were the explanatory variables.

Researchers have found that only one mechanism matures breast tissue into cancer-resistant tissue - a third trimester process in pregnancy called "differentiation."Russo and Russo have shown in their research that breast tissue maturity influences the development of breast cancer.

Girls have cancer-vulnerable Type 1 breast lobules at birth which look very primitive and resemble a branch from a very young lilac bush during the winter. Type 1 breast lobules have many terminal ductal lobular units known as TDLUs where cancers are known to develop. Women with breast cancer who also have children have a greater percentage of TDLUs than do women without breast cancer who have children. Having more TDLUs simply means there are more places for cancer to start.

At puberty, estrogen stimulates Type 2 breast lobules to develop. These are still immature and cancer-vulnerable. Estrogen, a recognized carcinogen, stimulates a woman's Type 1 and 2 breast cells during every monthly menstrual cycle. The more monthly menstrual cycles a woman has during the course of her life, the higher her breast cancer risk is.

Starting early in pregnancy, women are overexposed to estrogen which stimulates breast growth. Types 1 and 2 breast lobules multiply. The woman who has an abortion at this time is left with an increased number of Types 1 and 2 breast lobules. However, if she continues her pregnancy, the third trimester process known as “differentiation” protects her from estrogen overexposure and matures breast tissue into cancer-resistant Types 3 and 4 breast lobules. This is why epidemiologists have found that the earlier a woman has a first full term pregnancy, the lower her lifetime risk is for breast cancer. This is also why women with larger families have a lower lifetime risk for the disease.

Types 3 and 4 breast lobules resemble the branch of a lilac bush in bloom. They not only look different from Types 1 and 2 lobules, but they behave differently. Types 1 and 2 lobules grow faster in vitro than Type 3 lobules and have a shorter doubling time than Type 4 lobules. This is why nulliparous abortions are highly carcinogenic. The period between menarche and a first full term pregnancy is a critical time in a woman's life when she is most susceptible to carcinogens.

Karen Malec, president of the international Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer says: “Doctors compound the problem when they prescribe oral contraceptives to women before their first full term pregnancies or after an abortion. Like hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives contain steroidal estrogens. Steroidal estrogens are on the nation's list of known carcinogens.

"Women are dying because scientists have covered up evidence of an abortion-breast cancer link for 47 years, "It's time to tell women the truth."

(References available on request)