Can Aspirin Prevent Breast Cancer Deaths?

Aspirin has been recommended in the past for the prevention of stroke and heart disease, especially in those at risk. Now a new study suggests that breast cancer survivors who take Aspirin regularly may be nearly 50% less likely to die from a recurrence of tumors.

The study was based on data collected from 4,164 nurses with breast cancer who had completed their cancer treatment and did not measure the amount of aspirin taken by the women. The findings were published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Experts caution that the study found an assocation, rather than a clear cause and effect between cancer prevention and aspirin and that aspirin should not take the place of conventional cancer therapies. The researchers followed the women and found that many who took aspirin didn't experience a recurrence of tumors, but they didn't prove that aspirin was the reason for the prevention.

Michelle Holmes of Harvard Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital, said that aspirin may help prevent recurrence of tumors because of its anti-inflammatory effect. She also noted that many breast cancer survivors already take aspirin and will be glad to know that aspirin may help prevent their cancer from recurring.