A new study suggests that daily intake of aspirin reduces women's risk of ovarian cancer by up to 20 percent.
Researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics Division of National Cancer Institute found that the consumption of aspirin and nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which have anticancer properties, decreases chances of women in developing ovarian cancer. However, they admitted that it is still too early to make clinical recommendations.
Their objective for the study is to know the relationship between ovarian cancer and different medications. They studied 12 previously conducted epidemiological studies, which included 8,000 women with ovarian cancer and 12,000 women without ovarian cancer, who have used aspirin, nonaspirin NSAIDS, or acetaminophen.
They found out that those who regularly used aspirin, which is about 18 percent of the total study group, had 20 percent lower risk of having ovarian cancer compared to those who only used the drug once a week.
The risk of having ovarian cancer is also 10 percent lower to those who regularly used nonaspirin NSAIDs compared to those who only took the drug occasionally. However, they pointed out that the decreased risk is not statistically significant as they had a large sample size.
The use of acetaminophen, on the other hand, was found to have no effect on ovarian cancer.
"Our study suggests that aspirin regimens, proven to protect against heart attack, may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer as well. However intriguing our results are, they should not influence current clinical practice. Additional studies are needed to explore the delicate balance of risk-benefit for this potential chemopreventive agent, as well as studies to identify the mechanism by which aspirin may reduce ovarian cancer risk," said Britton Trabert, co-author of the study and an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute, in a press release.
Daily intake of low-dose aspirin is also associated in the decrease in the risk of developing colon and skin cancers, as well as, decreased recurrence of breast cancer. Even so, people should consult their physician first before starting a low-dose aspirin therapy as it also has unfavorable side effects, like hemorrhagic stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding, allergic reactions, and hearing loss.
This study was published in the Feb. 6 issue of Journal of National Cancer Institute.
