Oral contraceptives and malignant melanoma

Abstract

Several studies have suggested that prolonged use of oral contraceptives may increase a woman's risk of developing malignant melanoma. In the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study, 31 cases of malignant melanoma (code 172--International Classification of Diseases, 8th Revision) have been reported among ever-users and 27 cases among never-users. The risk ratio (RR) (indirectly standardised for age, parity, social class and smoking) was 0.92 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-1.54). There was no significant trend with duration of oral contraceptive use, although those women who had used the pill for at least 10 years had an elevated RR of 1.77 (95% CI 0.80-3.90). The Oxford/Family Planning Association Study has recorded 15 cases among ever-users and 17 cases among never-users; the standardised risk ratio was 0.85 (95% CI 0.42-1.70). None of the rates observed in any duration of use category was materially different from those observed in never-users. The results available so far from the two studies suggest that oral contraceptive use is probably not associated with an increased risk of malignant melanoma.