A study published in the British Medical Journal has suggested new links between the female contraceptive pill and cancer. Essentially, the research, which was carried out by the University of Aberdeen, showed a reduced chance of cancer developing in women prescribed the pill. However, when its use exceeded eight years, the cancer risk became greater.

The data assimilated by the university stretched back over a 38 year period - beginning in 1968. The GPs involved in the research provided fresh information twice a year. Where the women involved had switched doctors, the researchers were still able to gain access to their medical records - gaining from this information indicating whether cancer had developed.

The research team established from the data that, among the women prescribed the contraceptive pill, the risk of cancer developing was 12 per cent less than if not. Of particular statistical significance was the lessened chance of cancers affecting the uterus, ovaries and large bowel.

The evidence compiled during the nigh-on four decades of research suggests that the pill carries on offering protection against cancer for a minimum of 15 years after it use ceases. Crucially, this would last into the age period when women are considered more likely to develop cancer.

However, when the contraceptive was taken for eight years or more, the risk of cancer developing was markedly higher - with a focus on those affecting the core nervous system and the cervix. The one exception was ovarian cancer, which, in this group, was found to be less common.

According to the Aberdeen researchers, the results of this epic research programme should come as a reassurance to many women, particularly those who were prescribed oral contraceptives when they were still fairly new. They also conceded that variations in the make-up of different pill types, combined with variations in the frequency which women take them (i.e., given that women are now prescribed it during their teens, and then continue to take it for longer than before) would both produce in themselves variations in the risk of cancer developing. However, the researchers also contest that other studies in the same field have also shown, by implication, that the modern generation of contraceptives produce roughly similar results.

As per Professor Philip Hannaford, the lead researcher involved, instances of women taking the pill for more than eight years were, even in this day and age, "quite unusual". He added: "I would not recommend women take the pill specifically to reduce their risk of cancer, but if they decide to take it then they are not going to be putting themself at risk by doing so."

Commenting on the results, the Family Planning Association's Toni Belfield stated: "This study adds to the evidence that as well as providing a safe and effective form of contraception, the contraceptive pill can help protect against the risk of different types of cancer. The study further confirms that for the majority of women who take the contraceptive pill the benefits far outweigh any potential risks."

Further comment was provided by Cancer Research UK's Dr Julie Sharp, who added: "It remains important for women to be aware of the short-term risks of using the Pill, such as an increased risk breast and cervical cancer, but this research suggests that these risks may be balanced out by health benefits over the longer term."

As many as three million women in the UK are thought to be currently taking the pill. The worldwide figure is 100 million, while over 300 million are estimated to have been prescribed it since it came on the market 46 years ago.

Source - Pharmaceutical International's Health Reporter