Depot-Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Use Is Associated with Decreased Risk of Ovarian Cancer: The Mounting Evidence of a Protective Role of Progestins

Background: Combined oral contraceptive use is associated with a decreased risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (ovarian cancer). There is suggestive evidence of an inverse association between progestin-only contraceptive use and ovarian cancer risk, but previous studies have been underpowered. Methods: The current study used primary data from 7,977 women with ovarian cancer and 11,820 control women in seven case-control studies from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium to evaluate the association between use of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), an injectable progestinonly contraceptive, and ovarian cancer risk. Logistic models were fit to determine the association between ever use of DMPA and ovarian cancer risk overall and by histotype. A systematic review of the association between DMPA use and ovarian cancer risk was conducted. Results: Ever use of DMPA was associated with a 35% decreased risk of ovarian cancer overall (OR, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.85). There was a statistically significant trend of decreasing risk with increasing duration of use (P-trend < 0.001). The systematic review yielded six studies, four of which showed an inverse association and two showed increased risk. Conclusions: DMPA use appears to be associated with a decreased risk of ovarian cancer in a duration-dependent manner based on the preponderance of evidence. Further study of the mechanism through which DMPA use is associated with ovarian cancer is warranted. Impact: The results of this study are of particular interest given the rise in popularity of progestin-releasing intrauterine devices that have a substantially lower progestin dose than that in DMPA, but may have a stronger local effect.

Automated summary

The use of combined oral contraceptives and progestin-only contraceptives is associated with a decreased risk of ovarian cancer. Specifically, the injectable progestin-only contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) was found to be associated with a 35% decreased risk of ovarian cancer, with a significant trend of decreasing risk with increasing duration of use. Some studies showed an inverse association between DMPA use and ovarian cancer risk, while others showed increased risk, indicating a need for further investigation into the mechanism of this association.