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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Aspirin, NSAIDS May Reduce Breast Cancer by 20
Percent, Large Study Finds
May also help in treating women with
established breast cancer
 March 6, 2008 - Anti-inflammatory drugs like
aspirin may reduce breast cancer by up to 20 per cent, according to an
extensive review carried out by experts at London’s Guy’s Hospital, who
reviewed 21 studies covering more than 37,000 women published between
1980 and 2007.
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“Our review of research published over the last 27
years suggests that, in addition to possible prevention, there may also
be a role for NSAIDs in the treatment of women with established breast
cancer” says Professor Ian Fentiman from the Hedley Atkins Breast Unit
at the hospital, part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
“NSAID use could be combined with hormone therapy
or used to relieve symptoms in the commonest cause of cancer-related
deaths in women.”
The research by Fentiman and Agrawal included 11
studies of women with breast cancer and ten studies that compared women
who did and did not have the disease. The report is published in the
March issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
The authors stress that further research is needed
to determine the best type, dose and duration and whether the benefits
of regularly using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
outweigh the side effects, especially for high-risk groups.
“The purpose of a review like this is to look at a
wide range of published studies and see if it is possible to pull
together all the findings and come to any overarching conclusions”
explains Professor Fentiman.
“This includes looking at any conflicting results
and exploring how the studies were carried out.
“For example some of the studies we looked at as
part of this review found no links between NSAIDs and reduced levels of
breast cancer, while others suggested that taking NSAIDs can reduce the
breast cancer risk by about a fifth.
“Having weighed up the findings from over 20
studies, we have concluded that NSAIDs may well 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.
“Recent studies of NSAIDs use have shown about a 20
per cent risk reduction in the incidence of breast cancer, but this
benefit may be confined to aspirin use alone and not other NSAIDs.”
Previous studies have suggested that NSAIDs like
aspirin and ibuprofen, which have traditionally been used as mainstream
non-prescription analgesics, may provide protection against coronary
heart disease and some malignancies, such as colorectal cancer.
But Professor Fentiman is urging caution until
further research fully weighs up the pros and cons of using NSAIDs to
prevent and treat breast cancer.
“Our review did not look at the potential side
effects of using NSAIDs on a regular basis” stresses Professor Fentiman
“These can include gastrointestinal bleeding and perforation which can
carry a significant risk of ill health and death.
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More About
Breast Cancer |
|
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Also called:
Breast carcinoma
Breast cancer affects one in
eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women
in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one
knows why some women get breast cancer, but there a number of
risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include
● Age - the chance of getting
breast cancer rises as a woman gets older
● Genes - there are two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that greatly
increase the risk. Women who have family members with breast or
ovarian cancer may wish to be tested.
● Personal factors - beginning periods before age 12 or going
through menopause after age 55
Other risks include being
overweight, using hormone replacement therapy, taking birth
control pills, drinking alcohol, not having children or having
your first child after age 35 or having dense breasts.
Symptoms of breast cancer may
include a lump in the breast, a change in size or shape of the
breast or discharge from a nipple. Breast self-exam and
mammography can help find breast cancer early when it is
most treatable. Treatment may consist of radiation, lumpectomy,
mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Men can have breast cancer, too, but the number of cases is
small.
National Cancer Institute
>>
More information at MedlinePlus |
|
“It would be essential to take these negative
effects into account before we could justify routinely using NSAIDs like
aspirin to prevent breast cancer.
“More research is clearly needed and we are not
advocating that women take these non prescription drugs routinely until
the benefits and risks are clearer.
“But our findings clearly indicate that these
popular over-the-counter drugs could, if used correctly, play an
important role in preventing and treating breast cancer.”
Notes:
IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical
Practice was established in 1946 and is edited by Dr Graham Jackson from
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. It provides its
global audience of clinicians with high-calibre clinical papers,
including original data from clinical investigations, evidence-based
analysis and discussions on the latest clinical topics. The journal is
published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, part of the international
Blackwell Publishing group.
www.blackwellpublishing.com/ijcp
About Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley-Blackwell was formed
in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing
Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley’s Scientific,
Technical, and Medical business. For more information on
Wiley-Blackwell, please visit
www.blackwellpublishing.com or
http://interscience.wiley.com
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