The Pill linked to increased breast cancer risk

A new statistical analysis finds that women under age 50 who were diagnosed with breast cancer were also more likely to have recently been on some versions of the Pill.

The increased cancer risk still translates to less than a 1% chance of developing breast cancer for most younger women, researchers emphasise, so the results should not outweigh the many benefits of taking oral contraceptives.

These results are not enough to change clinical practice or to discourage any women from taking birth control pills, said lead study author Elizabeth F Beaber of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.