A CASE CONTROL STUDY INTO THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF BIRTH CONTROL PILLS ON PRE-CLINICAL CARCINOMA OF THE CERVIX

Summary

This paper reports a study of the possible relationship between oral contraceptives and preclinical squamous carcinoma of the cervix in women in their third decade in the Province of British Columbia. A total of 310 cases of preclinical carcinoma of the cervix and 682 matched controls were evaluated. The mean interval between first use of contraceptives and entry into the study was 5·3 years for the 25-29-year-old patients with preclinical carcinoma of the cervix, while the interval for the 20-24-year-old patients was 2·9 years. No significant difference in the pattern or duration of contraceptive usage was found between the case and control groups. The use of the different contraceptive methods in the screened population of the entire province of British Columbia paralleled that of the selected case control study group with the exception of a less frequently reported use of sequential preparations. In terms of the social data, however, there did appear to be a significantly greater number of pregnancies and of atypical marital situations among the women with preclinical carcinoma of the cervix. This suggested a different pattern of social behaviour in the two groups.