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  • Title: Oral contraceptives and hepatic tumors.
    Author: Wilson JH.
    Journal: Agressologie; 1982 Jan; 23(A):21-3. PubMed ID: 7081579.
    Abstract:
    Since the initial report in 1973 of 7 women who developed liver tumors while using oral contraceptives (OCs) over 300 cases have been reported. Hapatic tumors associated with OCs are benign (focal nodular hyperplasia or hepatocellular adenoma) or malignant (hepatocellular carcinoma, angiosarcoma, or cholangiocellular carcinoma). Mestranol is the main estrogen related to the development of hepatic adenoma but other OCs containing combinations of ethinyl estradiol, ethyl estradiol, mestranol, norethynodrel, norethisterone, and norgestrol are also associated with the tumors. Longterm OC users have an estimated annual incidence of 3-4/100,000. Hepatic tumors may present with abdominal pain or be an incidental finding on physical examination or at laparotomy. Diagnosis is confirmed by scintigraphy, echography, CT-scanning, angiography, or laparoscopy. Dynamic isotopic scanning may help differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Symptomatic benign tumors and malignant tumors are best treated by partial hepatectomy and a ban on estrogens. The use of OCs should be forbidden following resections. Surgery is indicated for patients with persistent or recurrent pain, those with intraperitoneal hemorrhage and those in whom a carcinoma is suspected. The administration of synthetic estrogens to experimental animals results in a variety of morphological and functional changes within the hepatocyte. Other possibilities are that the estrogen potentiates the carcinogenicity of other compounds, either by changing their metabolism or by interfering with their excretion due to the cholestatic effects of synthetic estrogens.
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