U.S. survey confirms pill, liver tumor link.

A study of the records of men and women diagnosed as having benign or malignant liver tumors in 477 U.S. hospitals during the period 1970-1975 supported the association between oral contraceptive use and benign liver tumors. However, a British study found no benign liver tumors among users of oral contraceptives. The U.S. institutions reported 543 cases of liver tumors during this period. Of these, 165 tumors were found in males, 91% of them malignant. 56% of the 378 tumors reported in woman were benign. Women with a history of oral contraceptive use accounted for 49.5%. Those who had never taken the pill were 21.7%. The contraceptive history of 29.4% was not known. Duration of pill use or use of a particular formulation was not associated. The The incidence of benign liver tumors among all women aged l5-45 is estimated to be 4.9/million. There is considerable controversy about diagnostic classification of these tumors. Many tumors were found incidentally during other operations. Pain was the most common complaint. The presence of a palpable mass was frequent. Intraabdominal hemorrhage was the only critical complication.