Aspirin reduces the risk of breast cancer

Mar 10 2008

According to a new British report, taking drugs such as Aspirin can reduce the risk of breast cancer by as much as 20 percent.

The report which reviewed 21 studies into the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) carried out over the last 27 years, found a 20 percent risk reduction in the incidence of breast cancer.

Professor Ian Fentiman of Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London, who carried out the review says such drugs could also help treat women who already have breast cancer.

Professor Fentiman says NSAIDs, a class of common painkiller which includes ibuprofen, could help ward off the disease as they appear to offer significant protection against developing breast cancer in the first place and may provide a useful addition to the treatment currently available to women who already have the disease.

Fentiman suggests that while recent studies of NSAIDs use have shown about a 20 percent risk reduction in the incidence of breast cancer, this benefit may be confined to aspirin use alone.

The review was based on 11 studies of women who already had breast cancer and 10 which compared women who did and did not have the disease.

However Fentiman believes more research needs to be done on the exact type of drug, as well as how it is administered, before any campaign is launched urging women to take the drugs regularly.

Professor Fentiman says the purpose of such a review is to examine a wide range of published studies, consider all the findings and establish if any overarching conclusions are reached.

This he says includes regarding conflicting results and exploring how the studies were carried out.

He says some of the studies found no links between NSAIDs and reduced levels of breast cancer at all.

While previous studies have suggested that aspirin can reduce the risk of bowel cancer, this review appears to be the first to say it can also cut the risk of breast cancer.

Professor Fentimann says he is not advocating that women take these non-prescription drugs routinely until the benefits and risks are clearer.

People should also be aware of the risks associated with regular aspirin use, in particular stomach irritation and the potential for bleeding and ulcers in the stomach.

The review is published by the International Journal of Clinical Practice.