The Pill and Breast Cancer: An Interview with Dr. Chris Kahlenborn
What inspired the need for this new and updated pamphlet on the Pill and
breast cancer?
In October 2006, we published our meta-analysis on oral contraceptives and premenopausal breast cancer in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Twenty-one out of twenty-three studies showed an increased risk of developing breast cancer if women had used oral contraceptives prior to the birth of their first baby; when the data from all twenty-three studies were pooled together, it resulted in a 44% increased risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer.
How was your interest first piqued on this subject?
I first read about the link between oral contraceptives and breast cancer in a pamphlet put out by the Couple to Couple League years ago. It was authored by a pharmacist named Paul Weckenbrock. He noted a link, but there was still too much variability in the studies. Over time it became clear to me that the only way to settle the matter was to do a comprehensive meta-analysis.
As a medical professional, what is your view on why this information is not more widely known?
There is a tremendous amount of what I call “medical correctness” that exists in medicine and research today. Solid research often goes unpublished because of the strong anti-life sentiment that has
been adopted by most of the major medical associations and their corresponding journals. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all support the choice to have abortions on demand.
What can women do to avoid breast cancer?
Women have the power to avoid certain risk factors which include oral contraceptive use, abortion, hormone replacement, and excess alcohol use. In addition, they should be informed that the risk of breast cancer decreases about 10% for every child one bears and for each addition six-month interval of breast feeding.
Can you tell us a little about the Polycarp Research Institute, the non-profit organization of which you are the founder and president?
The Polycarp Research Institute is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 which aims to “promote and perform research that seeks to improve the physical, psychological, and spiritual condition of mankind.” A number of pertinent research articles may be accessed at our site (www.polycarp.org).
What kind of response have you received from the article you co-authored in the October 2006 Mayo Clinic Proceedings on the connection between the birth control pill and breast cancer?
Honestly, I have been disappointed by the lack of response by both the secular and Christian media. Shortly after its publication I learned that both NBC and The New York Times had contacted the Mayo Clinic to review the article. Neither one ever called me for an interview and, to the best of my knowledge, neither did a story on the article. That gave
me an idea as to what extent the media will go to suppress scientific truth. However, the coverage from the Christian/Catholic media has been almost as poor. People are slowly learning about the study via the Internet. Personally, I believe women may only begin to hear about the link between oral contraceptives and premenopausal breast cancer when the first lawsuit is filed and won against one of the pharmaceutical companies that manufactures oral contraceptives.
Do you think that the increasing use of emergency contraception will have an impact on incidences of breast cancer in the future?
This is a very interesting question. Plan B contains a total of 1.5 mg of norgestrel. This is five times as much norgestrel as the daily dose found in a common birth control pill (Lo/Ovral). Our research gave evidence that progestins are a very strong culprit in the development of breast cancer. If this is true, then Plan B has high potential to increase the risk of breast cancer since the breast is exposed to ultra-high levels of norgestrel within a twelve-hour period. Unfortunately, the FDA has never addressed this question and even has gone so far as to allow this possible carcinogen to be sold over the counter. This is very bad news for today’s young women.
Breast Cancer Risk from Abortion
by Chris Kahlenborn, MD
PBCA 2 pp $0.35
Clear and persuasive information about the connection between breast cancer
and abortion.
Dr. Chris Kahlenborn, author of many One More Soul resources, has recently updated and revised the pamphlet "Breast Cancer Risk from the Pill," now entitled "The Pill and Breast Cancer." Dr. Kahlenborn, an internist and researcher who resides in Altoona, Pennsylvania, has gathered all of the most recent data on this deadly connection into a very reader-friendly question-and-answer brochure. The following questions and answers relate to both the updated pamphlet and Dr. Kahlenborn's work.
"The Pill and Breast Cancer" pamphlet is available in quantity discounts (which can be reached by mixing it with other pamphlets) as follows:
10+ $0.28 each
100+ $0.245 each
1000+ $0.21 each