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Since the advent of oral contraceptives in the 1960s, their safety has been questioned. The Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer was established in 1992 to analyze worldwide data on whether OCs increase the risk for breast cancer. This report summarizes findings from 54 epidemiologic studies from 25 countries.
All studies had more than 100 women with breast cancer and documentation about OC use. Analyses were adjusted for age, parity, and other factors. Data from 53,297 women with breast cancer and 100,239 controls revealed a small, statistically significant increase in breast-cancer risk in users of combined OCs. Compared with never-users, the relative risk of having breast cancer diagnosed was 1.24 for current users, an…