Modern oral contraceptive use and benign liver tumors: the German Benign Liver Tumor Case-Control Study.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the association between oral contraceptive use and the risk of benign liver tumors.


METHODS
Two parallel case-control studies on hepatocellular adenoma and focal nodular hyperplasia. Collaborative study of 15 German liver centers. Cases defined by histology and compared with population controls.


RESULTS
Fifty-one hepatocellular adenoma and 143 focal nodular hyperplasia cases (women) were recruited between 1990 and 1997, and compared to 240 population controls with a recent abdominal imaging test. The frequency age-matched odds ratio was 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.37-4.22) and 1.96 (95% CI, 0.85-4.57) for hepatocellular adenoma and focal nodular hyperplasia, respectively. For hepatocellular adenoma, there was neither a significantly increased risk with longer duration of oral contraceptive use, nor an association with time since first or last use. For focal nodular hyperplasia, however, a slightly increased odds ratio was found with longer duration of use and more recent last use.


CONCLUSIONS
There is little evidence for an increased risk for hepatocellular adenoma in women using modern oral contraceptives. If there is a risk not detected by the limited study size, hepatocellular adenoma is an extremely rare, and focal nodular hyperplasia a rare, adverse effect potentially associated with long-term oral contraceptive use and likely to be without public health importance.
Center for Epidemiology and Health Research, Berlin, Germany.
L A
LA
Heinemann
A
A
Weimann
G
G
Gerken
C
C
Thiel
M
M
Schlaud
T
T
DoMinh
D018248:Adenoma, Liver Cell / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral