Press. voanews.com
Low-dose aspirin
might help fend off breast cancer, according to a new study. Researchers at the
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center noted an overall 16 percent reduction
in breast-cancer risk among the 57,000 women who took an 81-milligram dose of
aspirin three or more times a week.
The most
striking finding, according to researchers, was the effect the aspirin had on
the most common form of breast cancer, known as estrogen or progesterone
receptor positive HER2-negative breast cancer. The risk of developing that
subtype was reduced by 20 percent.
The
participants, part of the California Teachers Study that began in 1995, filled
out questionnaires that included their exercise, smoking and drinking habits,
family history of cancer and medications they took, including hormone
replacement therapy. By 2013, almost
1,500 women reported having developed invasive breast cancer.
The reduction in
breast cancer risk in the City of Hope study was seen in comparison to the
results of other large studies investigating the possible benefits of
higher-dose aspirin and other painkillers. The study's findings were published
online in the journal Breast Cancer Research.
Investigators
did not see a breast-cancer risk reduction among women who took
regular-strength aspirin or other types of painkillers. They said that may be
because some women only took the aspirin occasionally, for pain relief.
Low-dose aspirin
taken regularly has been linked to other health benefits, including reductions
in the risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Investigators in
the latest study only found an association, not a causal link, between the use
of baby aspirin and a reduced risk of breast cancer.
Researchers
noted aspirin reduces inflammation, which plays a role in the initiation of
disease. They also said the painkiller is a mild aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase
inhibitors reduce the amount of the female hormone estrogen circulating in the
bloodstream, which fuels breast tumors, so they are used to treat some forms of
breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
At this point,
researchers are not recommending that women start taking low-dose aspirin to
protect themselves against breast cancer. They said more research is needed
showing a definite link between baby aspirin and cancer prevention.