Do oral contraceptives put women with a family history of breast cancer at increased risk?

Abstract

Q. Do oral contraceptives put women with a family history of breast cancer at increased risk? Evidence-based answer: No. Modern combined oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) don't increase breast cancer risk in women with a family history (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, systematic review of cohort, case-control studies). However, older, higher-dose OCPs (in use before 1975) did increase breast cancer risk in these women (SOR: C, case-control study). Similarly, modern OCPs don't raise breast cancer risk in women with BRCA1/2 mutations, although higher-dose, pre-1975 OCPs did (SOR: B and C, a meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies).