A continued debate over whether or not aspirin, ibuprofen or other related pain relievers influence the risk of breast cancer has just moved closer to one side: According to a study, taking aspirin or ibuprofen may boost a woman's chance of succumbing to breast cancer.
These findings merely stress concerns regarding the potential toxicities from long-term regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Breast Cancer Risks Revealed
Researchers evaluated data on some 114,000 women (ages 22-85) who participated in the California Teachers Study. The women were free of breast cancer when they enrolled in the study a decade ago. (At that time, the women informed researchers how often and how long they had used aspirin and ibuprofen.)
During a follow-up period, some 2,400 of the women were diagnosed with breast cancer of known receptor status. When researchers broke their findings down by pain reliever or type of breast cancer, the results showed:
Taking ibuprofen every day for at least five years increased a woman's chance of developing breast cancer by 50 percent, compared to women who did not regularly take the drug.
Daily use of aspirin for five years or more caused a woman's risk of ER/PR-negative breast cancer (not sensitive to estrogen or progesterone) to spike by 80 percent, compared to non-regular aspirin users.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute June 1, 2005, Vol. 97, No. 11: 805-812
USA Today June 1, 2005
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