Women who take the birth control pill could be increasing their risk of cervical cancer, scientists have warned.
A review of research by scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, and the London-based charity Cancer Research UK claims the longer women use the pill the greater their chances of developing the disease.
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Women who used the pill five years or less had a 10 per cent increased risk. A decade or more doubled the risk compared to women who have never taken the pill.
"This study shows that the use of hormonal contraceptives for long periods of time may increase the risk of cervical cancer," said Dr Amy Berrington, of Cancer Research UK's unit at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. But she said more research is needed to determine if the risk drops after women stop using the pill.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer of women worldwide with more than 470,000 new cases each year. If it is diagnosed and treated early, survival rates are good.
The sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) is linked to the majority of cervical cancer cases. An earlier study found that long-term use of the pill could quadruple the risk of the cancer in women with HPV.
Dr Berrington said the latest analysis, which was commissioned by the World Health Organisation and is reported in The Lancetmedical journal, shows a raised risk of cervical cancer regardless of whether a woman has the virus.
Previous research had also shown the pill may increase the risk of breast cancer but could lower the chances of suffering from ovarian cancer.
The researchers did not have information about the type or brand of pill used by the 12,500 women with cervical cancer in the 28 studies analysed.
