Editor: Akhmetova Aigerim
Author: Bolysbek Dana
Ovarian and endometrial cancer is one of the most common gynecological cancers, with a lifetime risk of just over 2%. Endometrial cancer is slightly more common, but because it has clear symptoms and is therefore often detected early, the mortality rate is low. However, ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because it often goes undetected until it has spread to other parts of the body.
Oral contraceptives include estrogen and progestin, which are synthetic forms of female sex hormones. The estrogen and progestin in oral contraceptives prevent ovulation and thus protect against pregnancy.
In the current study, researchers compared the incidence of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer in women who took oral contraceptive pills versus those who never took them.
“It was clear that women who took oral contraceptives had a much lower risk of developing both ovarian and endometrial cancer. Fifteen years after stopping oral contraceptives, the risk was about 50% lower. However, a reduction in risk was still found up to 30-35 years after stopping treatment, ”says Asa Johansson from the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, one of the leading researchers.
However, previous use of oral contraceptives has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
“Surprisingly, we found only a small increase in breast cancer risk among oral contraceptive users, and this increased risk disappeared within a few years after stopping the use,” says Johansson. "Our results indicate that the lifetime risk of breast cancer may not differ between those who took these pills and those who did not, even if there is an increased short-term risk."
The results of the current study are important because oral contraceptive use is commonly associated with side effects such as deep vein thrombosis and breast cancer.
“In addition to protecting against pregnancy, we have shown that oral contraceptive pills have other positive effects. Our results may enable women and doctors to make more informed decisions about which women should use the oral contraceptive pill, ”says Teresa Johansson, one of the PhDs who participated in this study.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-oral-contraceptive-pills-ovarian-...
