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Abortion history and breast cancer risk: Results from the Shanghai breast cancer study

  1. Maureen Sanderson1,†,*,
  2. Xiao-Ou Shu1,2,
  3. Fan Jin3,
  4. Qi Dai1,2,3,
  5. Wanqing Wen1,2,
  6. Yi Hua3,
  7. Yu-Tang Gao3,
  8. Wei Zheng1,2

Article first published online: 2 APR 2001

DOI: 10.1002/ijc.1263

Issue

International Journal of Cancer

International Journal of Cancer

Volume 92, Issue 6, pages 899–905, 15 June 2001

Additional Information

How to Cite

Sanderson, M., Shu, X.-O., Jin, F., Dai, Q., Wen, W., Hua, Y., Gao, Y.-T. and Zheng, W. (2001), Abortion history and breast cancer risk: Results from the Shanghai breast cancer study. Int. J. Cancer, 92: 899–905. doi: 10.1002/ijc.1263

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina and South Carolina Cancer Center, Columbia, SC, USA

  2. 2

    Center for Health Services Research and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

  3. 3

    Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

  1. †

    Fax: +803-777-2524

*Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, 800 Sumter Street, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA

  1. †

    Fax: +803-777-2524

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 3 MAY 2001
  2. Article first published online: 2 APR 2001
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 19 JAN 2001
  4. Manuscript Revised: 8 JAN 2001
  5. Manuscript Received: 24 OCT 2000

Funded by

  • National Cancer Institute. Grant Number: R01-CA64227

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Keywords:

  • abortion;
  • breast cancer;
  • pregnancy;
  • case-control studies

Abstract

Studies of the association between induced abortion and breast cancer risk have been inconsistent, perhaps due to underreporting of abortions. Induced abortion is a well-accepted family planning procedure in China, and women who have several induced abortions do not feel stigmatized. The authors used data from a population-based case-control study of breast cancer among women age 25–64 conducted between 1996 and 1998 in urban Shanghai to assess whether a history of and the number of induced abortions were related to breast cancer risk. In-person interviews were completed with 1,459 incident breast cancer cases ascertained through a population-based cancer registry, and 1,556 controls randomly selected from the general population in Shanghai (with respective response rates of 91% and 90%). After adjusting for confounding, there was no relation between ever having had an induced abortion and breast cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 0.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7–1.2). Women who had 3 or more induced abortions were not at increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer (OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.6–1.4) or postmenopausal breast cancer (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.8–2.3). These results suggest that a history of several induced abortions has little influence on breast cancer risk in Chinese women. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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