Study: The Pill Is Not Linked to Cancer

June 26 -- A major new study examining the risk of breast cancer for the millions of women who have used birth control pills will have them breathing a sigh of relief.

The government research, considered the definitive study on the topic, involved more than 9,000 women and more African-American women than any other of its kind. Its finding: Regardless of when a woman started using the pill, how long she used it, or whether she had a family history of breast cancer, oral contraceptives did not increase her risk for breast cancer.

"The results of our study are very good news," says Polly Marchbanks, a scientist with the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and lead author of the study. "Our study provides reassurance that oral contraceptives do not increase the risk of breast cancer."

The pill is one of the most popular forms of birth control, with about 80 percent of American women estimated to have used it at some point in their lives. But many had been anxious ever since a report, six years ago, linked the pill to an increased risk of breast cancer.

"Sometimes that anxiety comes in years later after they've been taking it and somebody in the family gets breast cancer and they begin to wonder, 'What did I do in the past that might affect my risk now?' " Dr. Kathy Heltzhouer, professor of epidemiology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, explained to ABCNEWS' John McKenzie.

The study appears in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Pill Is Not Risk-Free

Despite the encouraging finding and other health benefits associated with pill use, experts are quick to point out that using birth control pills is not risk-free. ABCNEWS.com asked experts to discuss what the results of the current study mean for women, as well as the other risks and benefits related to oral contraceptive use.

What is the role of oral contraceptives in other cancers? Are they thought to increase or decrease the risk of developing any cancers?