New breed of non-MD psychotherapists
Medical World News 19(15): 13
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-763X PMID: 10308411 Document Number: 135717
Results of an epidemiological study concerning liver tumors in oral contraceptive users were reported to a recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meeting. The study involved 76 women with diagnosed cases of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) and 3 age-matched neighborhood control women for each. Results indicated an increased risk of hepatoma of at least 200 times for women 27 or older who had used the pill 4 or more years and an increased risk for women 26 or less of 19 times the normal. The results, which confirmed an earlier case control study from the University of Southern California, showed the association between oral contraceptives and hepatoma to be stronger than the association between cigarettes and lung cancer. As a result of the study, the following recommendations were proposed: 1) all oral contraceptive users should have liver palpation in their physical examinations and be taught to report abdominal pain or masses; 2) women with resected HCAs should discontinue use of pills; and 3) women with diagnosed HCA should switch immediately to another form of contraception.