Using Pill 'can double cancer risk'

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But the new study also shows that 10 years after ceasing to take the Pill the cancer risk drops to normal levels.

Previous research has shown that the risk of cervical cancer rises with increasing duration of oral contraceptive use.

This is confirmed by the new study, which shows that women who have been on the Pill for five years or more are twice as likely to develop cancer as those who have never used it.

For the first time, the latest research shows how long the effect persists after use of oral contraceptives stops.

Dr Jane Green, from Oxford University, and colleagues wrote in The Lancet medical journal: "The incidence of cervical cancer increases with age and so the contribution of hormonal contraceptives to the lifetime incidence of cervical cancer will depend largely on the effects at older ages, when most women are past users."

They estimated that 10 years use of oral contraceptives from about the age of 20 to 30 increased the incidence of cervical cancer by age 50 from 3.8 to 4.5 per 1000 women in developed countries. In less developed countries, incidence rose from 7.3 to 8.3 per 1000 women.

The authors pointed out that the contraceptive pill significantly reduced the risk of ovarian cancer and cancer of the womb lining. This had to be taken account when weighing up the dangers.

Cancer expert Professor Ciaran Woodman, from the University of Birmingham, said: "This is an interesting and carefully conducted study which suggests an increased risk of cervical cancer associated with the use of the contraceptive pill. In the UK we are fortunate that we have a well organised screening programme and that deaths from cervical cancer are still falling. The take-home message should be that all women must come for screening when invited."