title: Abortion and breast cancer: case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to examine if certain aspects of a woman's experience of abortion might be associated with the risk of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The case-control study was conducted in Kragujevac (Serbia) during the period 2004-2005. The case group (191 women) consisted of patients with newly diagnosed first primary breast cancer, which was histologically confirmed. The control group (191 women), individually matched by age (± 2 years), hospital admittance and place of residence (rural/urban) to the respective cases, was selected from female patients admitted for other diseases. The analysis was restricted to parous women (168 cases and 171 controls).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Breast cancer risk was reduced among women who had a history of any abortion (adjusted OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.24-0.88). The protective effect was found for both induced abortion (adjusted OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.25-0.90) and spontaneous abortion (adjusted OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.10-0.98). It seems that these associations did not depend on the number of abortions, age at first abortion, or gestational age at first aborted pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that even short pregnancies ending in abortion add to the protection against breast cancer.
authors: Milena
authors: M
authors: Ilic
authors: Hristina
authors: H
authors: Vlajinac
authors: Jelena
authors: J
authors: Marinkovic
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Sipetic-Grujicic
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology