The deVeber Institute
for Bioethics and Social Research

Ovarian cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies effecting women around the world. In 2009 it is estimated that 21,550 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the USA and 14,600 will die of the disease. The National Institute of Cancer estimates that each woman has a 1 in 71 chance of developing the disease in her lifetime.

A recent paper by Gierach et al. (2005) found that women who have previously been pregnant and then had an induced abortion had a 31 percent increased chance of developing ovarian cancer. Since over 1,000,000 abortions are performed annually in the US and 100,000 in Canada, a possible role between abortions and induced abortions cannot be ignored and should be further investigated to determine its role.

To reduce the number of women being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and dying from it, researchers have attempted to study both the risk factors of the disease and etiology to increase screening, awareness and treatment options among women. Some of the established risk factors for ovarian cancer include being a carrier of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, having used hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a history of endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and being exposed to carcinogens such as asbestos or talcum powder. Some known protective factors are parity (having carried a pregnancy to term and having delivered a live baby), oral contraceptive (OC) use, breast feeding, and having a hysterectomy or tubal ligation.

The role of induced abortion and its possible role in the development of ovarian cancer has been studied in several papers. Some studies have found it to be a risk factor while a few have found it to be a protective factor, but many of the studies that have found it to be a protective factor did not distinguish induced abortions from natural miscarriages thus potentially masking its true negative effect.

Several recent studies have found that having a history of pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis increases a woman's chance of developing breast cancer. Both of these conditions are known possible sequalae of induced abortions and thus may lead to future development of ovarian cancer in those who experience them.

Due to the complex nature of the development of ovarian cancer and the high prevalance of induced abortions throughout the world, more epidemiological and case-control studies need to be done to understand the role of induced abortions and subsequent development of ovarian cancer.