Contraceptive pill cuts risk of cancer for many years, say scientists

Published on Thursday 24 January 2008 21:00

WOMEN were yesterday told not to worry about the risk of cancer when using the contraceptive pill – because it can actually reduce the risk of developing the disease for several decades.

Many women using the Pill have long worried about the increased risks of breast cancer.

But research has found that, in the long term, oral contraceptives cut the risk of ovarian and womb cancers.

Researchers, writing in the Lancet, said hundreds of thousands of cases of ovarian cancer had already been prevented worldwide because of women using the Pill.

They hope women will be reassured that, no matter how long they use this method of contraceptive, the benefits will outweigh the risks.

The new report, produced by a team at Oxford University, brought together evidence from 45 studies of ovarian cancer in 21 countries. The studies covered more than 23,000 women with ovarian cancer, 31 per cent of whom used oral contraceptives, and 87,000 women without ovarian cancer, 37 per cent of whom had used the Pill.

The research found a substantial drop in the risk of ovarian cancer among women who used oral contraceptives.

The protection against the disease, which kills some 370 women a year in Scotland, lasted for more than 30 years after a woman stopped taking the Pill.

It was also discovered that the longer the Pill was used, the greater the protection. Taking the Pill for 15 years halved the risk of ovarian cancer.

The researchers estimated that, in high-income countries, the use of oral contraceptives for ten years reduced the risk of developing ovarian cancer before the age of 75 from 12 cases per 1,000 women to eight per 1,000.

Professor Valerie Beral, the lead researcher, said: "Worldwide, the Pill has already prevented 200,000 women from developing cancer of the ovary and has prevented 100,000 deaths from the disease.

"More than 100 million women are now taking the Pill, so the number of ovarian cancers prevented will rise over the next few decades to about 30,000 per year."

Research also shows that the Pill gives protection against endometrial cancer – cancer of the lining of the womb – but causes a short-lived increase in breast and cervical cancer.

However, the researchers said that, while there were known to be some health risks among current and recent Pill users, these were outweighed by long-term protection against "the devastation of ovarian cancer" – one of the most dangerous types.

Co-author Sir Richard Peto, professor of epidemiology at Oxford University, said: "Young women don't have to worry about cancer from taking the Pill, because the eventual reduction in ovarian cancer is bigger than any increase in other types of cancer caused by the Pill."

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: "All women who have taken the Pill or are currently taking it should be reassured by this study. Any woman with concerns about taking the contraceptive pill should discuss them with her GP or local family planning clinic."