A study found that using progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives is related with a 20% to 30% increased risk of breast cancer.
According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is one of the most frequent types of cancer in the world, with around 2.3 million women diagnosed each year (WHO).
Until now, research has indicated that using the combined contraceptive pill, which contains both oestrogen and progestogen, is related with a little increase in the chance of getting breast cancer, which diminishes after discontinuation.
Researchers from Oxford Public Health’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit examined data from 9,498 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between the ages of 20 and 49 for the study. They compared it to 18,171 women who did not have breast cancer and served as controls.
The findings, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, revealed a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer associated with hormonal contraceptive use, regardless of whether the last prescribed contraceptive was a combined (oestrogen and progestogen) oral preparation (23%), a progestogen-only oral preparation (26%), an injected progestogen (25%), or a progestogen-releasing intrauterine device (25%). (32 per cent).
Nevertheless, after discontinuing use, the elevated risk of breast cancer related with oral contraceptive use decreased.
The following were associated with elevated risks: last prescribed during the last year (33%); last prescribed one to four years ago (17%); last prescribed five or more years ago (15 per cent).
“The new findings suggest that current or recent use of all types of progestogen-only contraceptives is associated with a slight increase in breast cancer risk, similar to that associated with use of combined oral contraceptives,”said Kirstin Pirie, statistical programmer at Oxford Population Health.A
“Given that a person’s underlying risk of developing breast cancer increases with advancing age, the absolute excess risk of breast cancer associated with either type of oral contraceptive will be smaller in women who use it at younger ages. These excess risks must, however, be viewed in the context of the well-established benefits of contraceptive use in women’s reproductive years,” Pirie said.
When the data for progestogen-only contraceptives were merged with previously published studies, there was an elevated risk of breast cancer among current and recent users of all four types of progestogen-only preparations: oral (29%) injected (18%) implanted (28%), intrauterine devices (28%). (21 per cent).
The researchers found that the absolute increased risk of developing breast cancer in women who had used oral contraceptives for five years ranged from eight in 100,000 for usage between the ages of 16 and 20, to 265 in 100,000 for use between the ages of 35 and 39.
“For anyone looking to lower their cancer risk, not smoking, eating a healthy balanced diet, drinking less alcohol, and keeping a healthy weight will have the most impact. There are lots of possible benefits to using contraception, as well as other risks not related to cancer. That’s why deciding to take them is a personal choice and should be done after speaking to your doctor so you can make a decision that is right for you,” said Claire Knight, Senior Health Information Manager at Cancer Research UK.
