Hormonal Contraceptives May Increase Breast Cancer Risk.

reported on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine finding that “women who use hormonal” contraceptives “for more than a year are at a 20 percent higher risk for breast cancer,” though “the overall risk remains low.” ABC News (12/6, Childs, Yap, Francis) reports on its website that the finding was based on a “study of 1.8 million women in Denmark” who were followed for “nearly 11 years.” Study co-author Dr. Lina Mørch told ABC News, “I was hoping that I was able to recommend one product that was risk-free but could not recommend any product as risk-free.” The researchers also found that “the breast cancer risk seemed to increase with the duration of hormonal contraceptive use.” Dr. Jon LaPook commented on the study for the CBS Evening News (12/6, story 11, 1:35, Holt) saying, “Most of these breast cancers were found in women in their 40s, and women using hormones for less than five years had no increased risk after being off them for six months.” LaPook added, “The 20 percent translates to about one more case of breast cancer a year for ever 7,700 women.” He also said that there are “potential benefits of using hormones, for example, decreasing the risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer or colon cancer and the benefit of preventing an unwanted pregnancy.” http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hormonal-birth-control-linked-increased-breast-cancer-risk/story?id=51619698