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WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- New York researchers have found aspirin may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
A study by Columbia University scientists of 2,884 women found those who took aspirin regularly were about 28 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who never took aspirin.
Their work has been summarized in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers interviewed 1,442 women who had breast cancer and an equal number of similar women who did not.
They found women who had used any anti-inflammatory painkiller, such as aspirin, at least once a week for at least six months, were about 20 percent less likely to develop breast cancer compared with women who had never taken aspirin. The greatest protection appeared to be among women who took aspirin most frequently -- at least seven tablets a week.
"Our data ... bolster the case for the use of aspirin and (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) as chemopreventive agents against breast cancer," the researchers wrote, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
