The Nation - News from Jan. 5, 1989

A study by the Boston University School of Medicine suggests that women under the age of 45 who use oral contraceptives may be facing an increased risk of breast cancer, a finding that contradicts earlier studies. The research, one of several studies to be presented today at a hearing of the Food and Drug Administration, found that women who used oral contraceptives had twice the risk of breast cancer compared to women who have never used the pill. For women who have used the pill for 10 years or more, the study found, the risk of breast cancer was increased four times. The findings were based on a study of 407 women with breast cancer and a cancer-free control group of 424. Dr. Samuel Shapiro, director of the Slone Epidemiology Unit at Boston University, said in a news release the new study contradicts findings in earlier studies, which indicated there was no association use of the pill and development of breast cancer. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, a consumer organization, called on the government to revise labeling of the pill in response to the studies.