Contraceptive pill reduces ovarian cancer risk

Taking the contraceptive pill for 10 years can nearly halve the risk of a woman developing ovarian cancer, according to new research.

Using oral contraceptives for any length of time can also cut the risk of developing ovarian cancer by around 15 per cent compared to women who have never taken the pill.

However, experts say the protective effect against ovarian cancer has to be balanced against a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Estimates suggest that for every 100,000 women who use the pill for ten years or more there would be 50 extra cases of breast cancer, but 12 fewer cases of ovarian cancer.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, tracked more than 300,000 women taking part in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study, which is investigating the links between diet, lifestyle and cancer.

Taking the pill for more than 10 years had the biggest influence on reducing the risk of disease, followed by getting pregnant and having more than one child.

Women who had been through a full-term pregnancy had a 29 per cent lower ovarian cancer risk compared with women who had never been pregnant.

And the bigger the family, the greater the benefit – among women who have children, each additional child lowered the risk of ovarian cancer by a further eight per cent.

Naomi Allen, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford who worked on the EPIC study, said: "Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect and so prevention is key to saving women suffering from this disease.

"These results are important because most women don’t know that taking the pill or getting pregnant can help reduce their risk of ovarian cancer later on in life."

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK, with around 6,500 new cases diagnosed every year. It is often described as a silent killer, as the symptoms are often vague and easily mistaken for other less serious conditions, which means the cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, which helped to fund the research, said: "These days it is not uncommon for women to have fewer children or none at all. Women tend to be unaware that these reproductive factors have a protective effect on their risk of ovarian cancer.

“Nobody can expect women to start living like their Victorian counterparts to reduce their risk of the disease. But there are other things that can be done to lower the risk of ovarian cancer like stopping smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

"As with most cancers, the risk of developing ovarian cancer increases with age - most cases are in women who are past their menopause.

"All women should be aware of the signs of ovarian cancer like pain in the lower tummy, bloating, increased tummy size, difficulty eating or feeling full.

"If these symptoms are new and happen on most days then it’s worth getting checked out by your doctor without delay."

This article was published on Wed 26 October 2011