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Long term use of ibuprofen and aspirin may help prevent women from developing breast
cancer, according to the results of a recent study. Researchers found that women who took
two or more nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, per week for
five to nine years reduced their risk of breast cancer by 21%, and the risk was reduced
even more for women who took these drugs for more than 10 years. However, the researchers
caution that more studies need to be conducted before physicians should recommend the
routine, continuous use of NSAIDs for the purpose of preventing breast cancer.
To conduct this study, lead researcher Randall Harris, MD, PhD, Professor of the
Division of Epidemiology and Biometrics at the Ohio State University, and colleagues
analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Women’s Health
Initiative (WHI) Observational Study. According to the American Association for Cancer
Research, the WHI is an observational study which included 80,741 post-menopausal women
ages 50 to 79 years of age. The women had no history of cancer, excluding non-melanoma
skin cancer. During the study, each woman completed a personal interview, which collected
information on her personal risk of developing breast cancer and her use of NSAIDs. Of the
women 80,741in the study, 1,392 eventually developed breast cancer.
Dr. Harris and his colleagues analyzed these data to determine whether the long term
use of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, helped reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Their findings showed that in fact, this was the case. Women taking two or more NSAIDs per
week for five to nine years reduced their risk of breast cancer by 21%. For women taking
NSAIDs for 10 years or longer, the risk of breast cancer was reduced by 28%. These figures
took into account other factors, such as body mass, estrogen use, family history, and
exercise.
"These results suggest that even women at high risk for breast cancer may be
protected by taking NSAIDs," said Dr. Harris, in a news release for the American
Association for Cancer Research. The study was slated to be presented at the
organization’s annual meeting in Toronto in April 2003, but the meeting was cancelled
due to the threat of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). In the study, ibuprofen was
more effective than aspirin at preventing breast cancer, but the use of low-dose aspirin
(less than 100 mg twice a week) had no effect on breast cancer risk reduction.
Previous studies have found that NSAIDs possibly prevent the development of breast
cancer by limiting the growth of tumors in the breast. This occurs, in theory, by
inhibiting the COX-2 enzyme, which has been found to be overabundant in many breast cancer
cases. This theory may explain why acetaminophen, which does not block the COX-2 enzyme,
does not prevent breast cancer.
However, Dr. Harris cautioned that the results of this study must be replicated in
additional studies before guidelines about the use of NSAIDs can be established. In fact,
some experts believe that a different study design is needed to better investigate the
effect of NSAIDs on breast cancer prevention. For example, a study that follows women over
time who take NSAIDs on a regular basis and then comparing them to a similar group of
women who do not take NSAIDs may help researchers more closely study the benefits of
NSAIDs, as opposed to retrospectively analyzing data on NSAIDs and later breast cancer
development, since factors such as the women’s memory of taking NSAIDs cannot be
called into question.
Nevertheless, the study explores a potential new mechanism for reducing the risk of
breast cancer. Currently, only the drug tamoxifen (brand
name, Nolvadex) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help prevent
breast cancer in women identified to be at high risk for the disease. Other preventive
strategies, such as the drug raloxifene
(brand name, Evista), are also under investigation. In addition, regular mammograms and breast self-exams
can help detect breast cancer in early stages when the chances of successful treatment are
typically greatest.
Additional Resources and References
- The study on NSAIDs and breast cancer development discussed in this article is published
in the 2003 edition of Proceedings by the American Association for Cancer Research.
- The April 8, 2003 American Association for Cancer Research news release,
"Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Effective in Protecting Against Breast Cancer;
NSAIDs May Block Development of Breast Tumors," is available at http://www.aacr.org/2003AM/2003AM.asp
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