Abstract

PIP: At least 50 proven cases of liver tumors following use of oral contraceptives have been reported. The authors reports 12 in his practice but thinks may have gone unrecognized elsewhere. The 11 cases reported to the surgical meeting in Miami Beach were solitary primary tumors in nonalcoholic and otherwise healthy women with an average of 32 years. Of these 6 had been taking oral contraceptives for 5 or more years, 3 for 2 years or less, and 2 for 1 year or less. Several had catastrophic hemorrhage, abdominal pain, and shock. Hemoperitoneum was found at laparotomy. In 2 cases the tumors were malignant. In 5 cases the tumors had not bled but were found incidentally at laparotomy. No particular type of contraceptive was correlated. sometimes the patient had detected a lump in the right upper part of the abdomen. All tumors were hepatocellular. The tumors were hamartoma, focal nodular hyperplasia, and adenoma or hepatocellular carcinoma.