Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of South Carolina, United States; Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, United States.
Oral contraceptive pills have been implicated in the pathophysiology of breast cancer. Although many studies have examined the relationship between combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and breast cancer, there is a paucity of literature that discusses progestin-only oral contraceptives (POCs) and breast cancer. The purpose of this investigation is to examine potential associations between different types of oral contraceptives and breast cancer mortality in the South Carolina Medicaid population among different racial/ethnic groups.
Methods
Subjects included 4816 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2013. Kaplan-Meier curves were calculated to determine time-to-mortality rates among users of oral contraceptives. Competing-risks models and Cox multivariate survival models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of breast cancer and other-cause mortality, as well as all-cause mortality.
Results
POCs were associated with a significantly decreased risk of breast cancer mortality (HR: 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.52) and a non-significant increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.52, 2.07). COCs increased the risk of breast cancer mortality (HR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.28) and all-cause mortality (HR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.30, 2.57).
Conclusion
Use of POCs may be associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer mortality. Due to the small sample size of POC users in the current study, additional research is needed to confirm these findings.
oral contraceptives breast cancer survival, combined oral contraceptives breast cancer mortality, progestin-only contraceptives breast cancer, hormonal contraception cancer outcomes, oral contraceptive type breast cancer risk, competing risk model breast cancer, Medicaid breast cancer oral contraceptives, estrogen progestin breast cancer prognosis, contraceptive pill cancer association, hormonal birth control breast cancer mortality
PMID 27889052 27889052 DOI 10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.10.014 10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.10.014
Cite this article
Samson, M. E., Adams, S. A., Mulatya, C. M., Zhang, J., Bennett, C. L., Hebert, J., & Steck, S. E. (2017). Types of oral contraceptives and breast cancer survival among women enrolled in Medicaid: A competing-risk model. Maturitas, 95, 42-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.10.014
Samson ME, Adams SA, Mulatya CM, Zhang J, Bennett CL, Hebert J, et al. Types of oral contraceptives and breast cancer survival among women enrolled in Medicaid: A competing-risk model. Maturitas. 2017;95:42-49. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.10.014
Samson, M. E., et al. "Types of oral contraceptives and breast cancer survival among women enrolled in Medicaid: A competing-risk model." Maturitas, vol. 95, 2017, pp. 42-49.
Keywords
Contraceptives, Oral
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