Family Life

02.17.10 | FL News Team

Aspirin may help prevent the recurrence of breast cancer. A study of more than four-thousand nurses has found those who took a low dose aspirin on a regular basis, had a 50-percent reduced risk of dying from breast cancer and a 50-percent lower risk of the cancer returning. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School say if their findings are confirmed in other clinical trials, taking a simple aspirin could become a simple, low-cost and fairly safe tool to help women with breast cancer live longer, healthier lives.

 The researchers discovered women in the study who'd taken a low dose aspirin two to five days a week had a 60-percent reduced risk of their cancer spreading and a 71-percent lower risk of breast cancer death. More pills aren't necessarily better. Those who took six to seven aspirin tablets a week hoping to thwart heart disease, lowered their risk of spread by 43-percent and risk of death by 64-percent. Scientists believe other aspirin-like drugs including ibuprofen and naproxen, may have the same effect but there isn't enough data to offer a definite answer. Study details are published in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology."