Hormonal Contraceptive Formulations and Breast Cancer Risk in Adolescents and Premenopausal Women

Does breast cancer risk differ by content of hormonal contraceptives?In this cohort study of more than 2 million adolescent girls and premenopausal women in Sweden, breast cancer risk varied by hormone formulation in hormonal contraceptives. Oral formulations containing desogestrel were associated with a higher number of additional cases per 100 000 person-years compared to those containing levonorgestrel.These findings suggest that individuals at risk of breast cancer may benefit from avoiding desogestrel-containing hormonal contraceptives, particularly in progestin-only formulations.

Corresponding Author: Åsa Johansson, PhD, Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, SciLifeLab, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, 751 22 Uppsala, Sweden (asa.johansson@igp.uu.se).

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