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All forms of hormonal contraception bring an increased risk of breast cancer, which lasts for about five years after women stop taking it. The raised chance has been known for some time, but it was thought newer forms – such as those which release progesterone only – would be safer.
But now a new study, the largest of its kind, has found the combined pill, the progestogen-only pill and non-oral products such as the hormone-intrauterine system (IUS) have a 20 per cent higher risk. Researchers found that among women taking the pill for five years, there would be an extra one breast cancer diagnosis for every 1,500 women.
Researchers analysed many women in who were followed up for nearly 11 years on average. Around two out of three breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive, which means hormones help the cancer cells grow and spread. The risk of breast cancer was higher in women who used the pill or other forms of hormonal contraception, including IUDs, for longer.
It was also raised for those who were older – the majority of the cases were in women over 40. The small risks of the pill needed to be weighed up against the benefits. These include not only preventing an unwanted pregnancy but a reduced risk of ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancers in later life.
An increased risk of breast and cervical cancer in current and recent pill users which disappeared within approximately five years of stopping oral contraception. The similar breast cancer results in both cohort studies suggest that today’s pills have similar cancer risks and benefits as older preparations.
Researchers compared the breast cancer risk in users of different types of hormonal contraception to women who had never used hormonal contraception. During the study period, several new breast cancers were detected. In current and recent users of any type of hormonal contraception, the risk of breast cancer was 20 per cent increased.
There was little evidence of consistent differences in risk between users of combined oral contraceptives with different progestogens. Researchers did not detect an increased risk in former users who had used hormonal contraception for less than five years. The increased risk in long-term users gradually decreased by time and disappeared five to ten years after stopping.
An over-the-counter supplement reduces breast cancer aggressiveness by up to 80 per cent, new research reveals. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), which is sold as a supplement is approved as a cold and flu remedy in the US, significantly lowers levels of the breast cancer aggressiveness marker MCT4, a study found.
Users of progestogen only contraceptives – mainly pills and the hormone-intrauterine system (IUS) – also experienced an increased relative risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer is rare in young women. It is rare in women before the menopause, with most women using the combined pill also being in their late teens, twenties and early thirties.
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