Prolonged Use of Progestogens May Raise Risk for Intracranial Meningioma

FRIDAY, March 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Prolonged use of medrogestone, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and promegestone is associated with an increased risk for intracranial meningioma, according to a study published online March 27 in The BMJ.

Noémie Roland, M.D., M.P.H., from the EPI-PHARE Scientific Interest Group in Saint-Denis, France, and colleagues conducted a national case-control study involving 108,366 women overall to examine the risk for intracranial meningioma associated with use of selected progestogens. Cases included 18,061 women living in France who had intracranial surgery for meningioma between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2018; each case was matched to five controls (90,305 controls).

The researchers found that the risk for meningioma was increased with use of medrogestone (0.2 percent among cases versus 0.1 percent among controls; odds ratio, 3.49), medroxyprogesterone acetate (injectable; 0.05 versus 0.01 percent; odds ratio 5.55), and promegestone (0.5 versus 0.2 percent; odds ratio, 2.39). The excess risk was driven by use for one year or longer. No excess risk for intracranial meningioma was seen for progesterone, dydrogesterone, or levonorgestrel intrauterine systems. Due to the small number of people receiving dienogest or hydroxyprogesterone, no conclusions could be drawn.

“Future studies should further clarify the association between the duration of use and risk for the progestogens studied, and extend the discussion of meningioma risk to dienogest and hydroxyprogesterone,” the authors write.

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