Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Medications typically taken for pain relief may help reduce the risk of some breast cancers, according to a recent article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers analyzed data from 38 observational studies involving more than 2.7 million women to see whether taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, reduced risk of breast cancer. Inflammation may be a risk factor in cancer, the report says.

Earlier studies on NSAIDS in reducing breast cancer risk have shown conflicting results. Reviewers hope that by combining results they may identify trends that individual studies may miss.

NSAIDs work through the suppression of estrogen, which has researchers speculating that the use of NSAIDs may reduce the risk of hormone-positive breast cancer. Hormone-positive breast cancer, also referred to as estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, is the most common type of breast cancer and is stimulated to grow from exposure to the female hormones estrogen and/or progesterone, according to the Daily Cancer News –CancerConsultants.com.

According to the report, women who regularly took any type of NSAIDs had a 12 percent reduction of breast cancer risk. While the news is promising, the report urges that women should first consult their healthcare provider before using any NSAIDs, as these medications can have side effects that carry risks that outweigh the benefits against breast cancer.

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