Review study suggests NSAIDs, including aspirin, may cut risk of developing breast cancer 20%

According to a review carried out by researchers at Guy's Hospital in London, UK, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin may reduce the risk of breast cancer by around 20%. The work, which was conducted by Ian Fentiman and Avi Agrawal at the hospital's Hedley Atkins Breast Unit, suggests that NSAIDs have a significant role to play in the treatment of the disease.

Prof Atkins and Mr Agrawal reviewed data from 21 studies, carried out between 1980 and 2007, that included more than 37,000 women deemed to be at moderate risk of developing breast cancer. They specifically set out to examine the relationship between disease epidemiology and NSAID use. The results showed that treatment with NSAIDs, aspirin in particular, brought about a moderate drop in the occurrence of breast cancer, although they did not indicate a likely level of dose-response. The study also demonstrated that, in women already suffering form the disease, aspirin was shown to increase serum levels of nitric oxide and maspin, both of which are known to inhibit the growth of harvested breast cancer cells in vitro.