Following the findings on the effect of aspirin on colorectal cancer, researchers discovered aspirin can also reduce cancer recurrence and death in breast cancer patients.
Investigators evaluated the data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which included 4,164 female nurses aged 30 to 55 who were diagnosed with stage I, II or III breast cancer between 1976 and 2002 and were followed through June 2006.
Findings: they found that cancer patients who took aspirin two to seven days a week had their risks of cancer coming back or death from the disease reduced by nearly 50%.
Also, patients who took non-aspirin non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) six or seven days a week also experienced a reduction in metastasis or death while those who took NSAIDS less frequently and those who used acetaminophen (TYLENOL) did no experience such benefits.
Investigators, however, did not recommend all breast cancer patients to start taking aspirin, since this is the first study and aspirin is known to cause stomach bleeding. Patients should talk to their doctors before taking aspirin.
Reference: Journal of Clinical Oncology
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