RESUMO
Two cases of liver cell carcinoma in young women ingesting oral contraceptives have been found within a few months in the county of Vejle, Denmark. Including these two patients 22 cases of liver cell carcinoma in young women have been published since 1973, 19 of whom have used oral contraception. The possible effects of oral contraceptives in inducing liver tumors is discussed, and it is pointed out that no statistical proof of such an effect exists at present.
PIP: 2 cases of liver cell carcinoma in young women taking oral contraceptives are reported. All cases occurred in Denmark. Also discussed are 19 other cases of liver cell carcinoma reported in Danish literature since 1973 in patients using oral contraception. In both cases reported here, the intake of oral contraceptives was of short duration: Patient 2 had used Ovanone for 2 years and Patient 1 had used an unknown combined formula for from 1-2 years followed by use of a gestagen pill for 6 months before and 6 months after her pregnancy. Both tumors were diagnosed postpartum. Previous cases of liver cell carcinoma have been reported in pregnant women not taking oral contraceptives. Deposits of alpha-1 antitrypsin were found in the tumor of 1 of the cases reported here. It is emphasized that the risk of contracting liver cell carcinoma is very small (19 oral contraceptive-connected cases out of millions of users), and there is still no statistical evidence that oral contraceptives are causative for this carcinoma.
