Common Pain Relievers May Reduce Cancer Risk
There's some new research that might help explain the link earlier studies have found between aspirin and other over the counter pain relievers and a reduced cancer risk - of both ovarian and the breast.
The 740 postmenopausal women in the latest study (all Nurses Health Study participants) who took either aspirin, another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) or Tylenol on a regular basis had lower estrogen levels than women who didn't regularly take these kinds of pain relievers.
The researchers collected information on the women's use of pain relievers between the years 1988 and 1990.
They also took blood samples from the subjects during this time.
Women who said they used over the counter pain relievers at least 15 days out of a month had estrogen levels that were 13-15% lower than the women who didn't use any analgesic.
The finding suggests a link between regular use of pain relievers and lower estrogen levels.
Interesting that over the last ten years there have been no less than 12 studies to find an association between using aspirin (or NSAID) frequently and a reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
The trouble is, most all the research has been observational, and this method does have its limits.
One of the most widely reported studies was conducted by Columbia University researchers who questioned nearly 3,000 women, both with and without breast cancer, about their aspirin use.
They found a 20% lower risk of breast cancer among the regular aspirin takers vs.
the infrequent aspirin users.
Also last year, a team from Brigham and Women's followed 4,000 nurses enrolled in the ongoing Nurses Health Study (NHS) who had been treated for breast cancer at least one year before.
This work found the breast cancer survivors who took aspirin regularly had a reduced risk of cancer recurring, or dying from their disease, than those who didn't take aspirin.
There was even a lower risk in aspirin takers of the cancer spreading beyond the breast.
The researchers believe that the findings of the work support the idea that painkilling drugs could cut the risk of these cancers by suppressing the hormone that feeds them.
The association must be confirmed by more research before your doctor will tell you to take these medications every day.
There may be side effects that are more troublesome than the benefits you're getting.
Remember, these drugs have been linked to some serious health issues.
Aspirin and NSAIDs have been associated with rare but serious bleeding in the stomach or intestines.
Tylenol has been tied to liver failure.
New studies with participants randomly assigned to using painkillers or not would help to show if these medications really do have a link to estrogen levels, and if the link is worth any risk to health.
While you wait for more studies, be sure you're doing all you can to reduce your risk of cancer of the breast or ovaries.
Manage your weight, limit your consumption of alcohol and get as much exercise as you can.
Don't put off those annual exams and yearly screenings, these can, and do, save lives.
If you are especially worried and want to reduce cancer risk, talk to your doctor or a specialist about your unique situation, get a realistic risk assessment, and investigate any prevention and screening techniques that might be available to you.
The 740 postmenopausal women in the latest study (all Nurses Health Study participants) who took either aspirin, another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) or Tylenol on a regular basis had lower estrogen levels than women who didn't regularly take these kinds of pain relievers.
The researchers collected information on the women's use of pain relievers between the years 1988 and 1990.
They also took blood samples from the subjects during this time.
Women who said they used over the counter pain relievers at least 15 days out of a month had estrogen levels that were 13-15% lower than the women who didn't use any analgesic.
The finding suggests a link between regular use of pain relievers and lower estrogen levels.
Interesting that over the last ten years there have been no less than 12 studies to find an association between using aspirin (or NSAID) frequently and a reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
The trouble is, most all the research has been observational, and this method does have its limits.
One of the most widely reported studies was conducted by Columbia University researchers who questioned nearly 3,000 women, both with and without breast cancer, about their aspirin use.
They found a 20% lower risk of breast cancer among the regular aspirin takers vs.
the infrequent aspirin users.
Also last year, a team from Brigham and Women's followed 4,000 nurses enrolled in the ongoing Nurses Health Study (NHS) who had been treated for breast cancer at least one year before.
This work found the breast cancer survivors who took aspirin regularly had a reduced risk of cancer recurring, or dying from their disease, than those who didn't take aspirin.
There was even a lower risk in aspirin takers of the cancer spreading beyond the breast.
The researchers believe that the findings of the work support the idea that painkilling drugs could cut the risk of these cancers by suppressing the hormone that feeds them.
The association must be confirmed by more research before your doctor will tell you to take these medications every day.
There may be side effects that are more troublesome than the benefits you're getting.
Remember, these drugs have been linked to some serious health issues.
Aspirin and NSAIDs have been associated with rare but serious bleeding in the stomach or intestines.
Tylenol has been tied to liver failure.
New studies with participants randomly assigned to using painkillers or not would help to show if these medications really do have a link to estrogen levels, and if the link is worth any risk to health.
While you wait for more studies, be sure you're doing all you can to reduce your risk of cancer of the breast or ovaries.
Manage your weight, limit your consumption of alcohol and get as much exercise as you can.
Don't put off those annual exams and yearly screenings, these can, and do, save lives.
If you are especially worried and want to reduce cancer risk, talk to your doctor or a specialist about your unique situation, get a realistic risk assessment, and investigate any prevention and screening techniques that might be available to you.
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