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NSAID Use Linked to Lower Rates of Breast Cancer: Presented at AACR

By Brian Reid

WASHINGTON, DC -- July 15, 2003 -- Regular use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) appears to be linked to a lower incidence of breast cancer, with ibuprofen showing the largest protective effect, according to a study presented July 13^th here at the 94^th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The case-control study of postmenopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) compared 1,392 breast cancer cases with an equal number of matched controls.

Results showed that 10 or more years of regular NSAIDs use (defined as at least 2 tablets per week) decreased a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 28% (RR=0.072, 95 percent CI=0.56-0.91). Five to 9 years of NSAID use reduced risk by 21% (RR=0.79, 95% CI=0.60-1.04).

"We need to search for combinations of these compounds that are effective, innocuous, and inexpensive," said Randall Harris, MD, PhD, a professor in the division of epidemiology and biometrics, Ohio State School of Public Health, in Columbus, United States. "This is our best prospect for progress in cancer prevention."

Ten years or more of ibuprofen use reduced a patient's risk nearly in half (RR=0.51, P<0.04), and just 1 to 4 years of regular use was associated with a 29% reduction in risk. The effect of acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) was weaker, with 10 years of use of full-strength Aspirin associated with a 21% risk reduction that did not achieve significance (P=.06).

Neither acetaminophen nor low-dose Aspirin was associated with a reduction in breast-cancer risk, and Dr. Harris said the results add weight to the hypothesis that the chemoprotection stems from cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 blockade.

Although this study is not the first to study this effect, the size and diverse nature of the WHI suggests that the results can be generalized, Dr. Harris said, adding that he found the evidence of a chemoprotective effect compelling enough to treat himself with 200 mg of ibuprofen per day. "I don't think it's too early [to consider clinical use of the drug in chemoprevention]," he added.


[Study title: Inverse Association of Breast Cancer and NSAIDs: Results from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Abstract 4893]

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