Cancer Resources > Cancer News > 2009 > February

Link between oral contraceptives and breast cancer persists

Last Updated: 2009-02-23 11:04:20 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Oral contraceptive use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer diagnosed in recent years, according to a report in the February 15th issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Until now, the reported association between breast cancer and oral contraceptives was based "largely on...studies conducted before 1990," according to Dr. Lynn Rosenberg, from Boston University, and colleagues.

Using data from the Case-Control Surveillance Study the authors sought to determine whether oral contraceptive use was associated with increased breast cancer risk in women diagnosed between 1993 and 2007, and if so, whether the association differed by race or hormone receptor status.

The study involved 907 case women (731 white, 176 black) and 1711 controls (1152 white, 559 black).

On multivariate analysis, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.5 for 1 year or more of oral contraceptive use relative to less than 1 year.

ORs were larger in women with longer duration use, black ethnicity, and use within the previous 10 years, but none of these trends was statistically significant. The association between oral contraceptive use and breast cancer risk did not differ according to the hormone receptor status of the tumor.

"Given the widespread use of oral contraceptives, continued evaluation of their possible health effects may be warranted," Dr. Rosenberg and colleagues conclude.

Am J Epidemiol 2009;169:473-479.

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