Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2013 Jul;122(1):139-147.
doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318291c235.

Oral contraceptive pills as primary prevention for ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Laura J Havrilesky  1 , Patricia G Moorman, William J Lowery, Jennifer M Gierisch, Remy R Coeytaux, Rachel Peragallo Urrutia, Michaela Dinan, Amanda J McBroom, Vic Hasselblad, Gillian D Sanders, Evan R Myers
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Oral contraceptive pills as primary prevention for ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Laura J Havrilesky et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the overall reduction in ovarian cancer risk associated with the use of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) and whether reduction in risk is affected by specifics of OCP use, such as formulation or duration of use.

Data sources: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and ClinicalTrials.gov for studies published from January 1990 to June 2012, with primary analysis of studies published since January 2000.

Methods of study selection: We reviewed 6,476 citations. We included English-language controlled studies with human participants reporting a quantitative association between exposure to OCPs (in which the explicit or implicit indication for OCP use was prevention of pregnancy or ovarian cancer) compared with no use of OCPs. Two investigators independently reviewed the title and abstract and full-text of articles for inclusion or exclusion decision; discordant decisions were resolved by team review and consensus.

Tabulation, integration, and results: Fifty-five studies met inclusion criteria. A random-effects meta-analysis of 24 case-control and cohort studies showed significant reduction in ovarian cancer incidence in ever-users compared with never-users (odds ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.66-0.81). There was a significant duration-response relationship, with reduction in incidence of more than 50% among women using OCPs for 10 or more years. The lifetime reduction in ovarian cancer attributable to the use of OCPs is approximately 0.54% for a number-needed-to-treat of approximately 185 for a use period of 5 years.

Conclusion: Significant duration-dependent reductions in ovarian cancer incidence in the general population are associated with OCP use.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Buys SS, Partridge E, Greene MH, Prorok PC, Reding D, Riley TL, et al.. Ovarian cancer screening in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial: findings from the initial screen of a randomized trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2005;193:1630–9.
    1. Jacobs I, Skates S, Macdonald N. Ovarian cancer screening was feasible but did not decrease incidence of index cancer or mortality. West J Med 2000;172:97.
    1. Jacobs IJ, Skates SJ, MacDonald N, Menon U, Rosenthal AN, Davies AP, et al.. Screening for ovarian cancer: a pilot randomised controlled trial. Lancet 1999;353:1207–10.
    1. Menon U, Gentry-Maharaj A, Hallett R, Ryan A, Burnell M, Sharma A, et al.. Sensitivity and specificity of multimodal and ultrasound screening for ovarian cancer, and stage distribution of detected cancers: results of the prevalence screen of the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). Lancet Oncol 2009;10:327–40.
    1. van Nagell JR Jr, DePriest PD, Reedy MB, Gallion HH, Ueland FR, Pavlik EJ, et al.. The efficacy of transvaginal sonographic screening in asymptomatic women at risk for ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 2000;77:350–6.

Publication types

Substances