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Painkillers may lower breast cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking high doses of the painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- such as ibuprofen or aspirin -- is associated with a reduced risk of developing breast cancer, the results of a recent study suggest.
Dr. Victoria A. Kirsh, of Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, and colleagues analyzed 3125 cases of breast cancer, compared with 3062 age-matched "controls" who were free of cancer. The subjects completed a questionnaire that included detailed questions on their use of NSAIDs.
About a quarter of the participants were regular NSAID users, defined as daily use for at least 2 months, the team reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Regular use of NSAIDs was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of breast cancer, the researchers report. Breast cancer risk decreased with increased duration of NSAID use and was generally lowest after 7 or more years of use.
Kirsh and colleagues note that chronic inflammation has been linked to the development of cancer, and that painkillers are often taken for long periods and at high doses for chronic pain or inflammation.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, September 15, 2007.
Reuters Health