Aspirin cuts breast cancer risk

An aspirin a day can slash the risk of developing breast cancer by almost a third, say scientists.

They suggested the painkiller, which costs as little as 2p per pill, should be seen as a potential wonder drug in the fight against cancer.

Aspirin has already been earmarked as a key weapon against heart disease and strokes due to its ability to thin the blood and prevent clots forming.

Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease among British women, with almost 40,000 cases a year and 13,000 deaths. A woman's lifetime risk of developing the disease is one in 12, but cases are rising, possibly due to hormonal changes brought about by delayed motherhood and lower rates of breastfeeding.

Dr Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programmes at the charity Cancer Research UK, said: 'This just goes to show that sometimes the oldest drugs still have new tricks up their sleeves.

'Aspirin is derived from willow bark and there is evidence it was being used by the ancient Egyptians to help calm inflammation. It really is turning out to be something of a wonder pill.'

But he cautioned against women reaching for the aspirin bottle just yet. 'We need a lot more work on this before doctors can make recommendations to women,' he said.

The latest evidence of the power of aspirin emerged in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York carried out detailed interviews involving 1,400 breast cancer victims and 1,400 healthy women.

They looked at how many women were using the pills regularly to relieve problems such as headaches. They found that using aspirin at least once a week for six months led to a 20 per cent lower risk of breast cancer. Using seven or more tablets in a week resulted in a 28 per cent cut.

The effects were strongest in women with hormone-receptor positive breast tumours - a form of the disease which affects 60 per cent of sufferers.

For women with a family history of breast cancer, who could have up to an 80 per cent chance of developing the disease, a daily aspirin could prove a lifesaver, experts believe.

They are still not sure exactly why women on daily aspirin have a lower risk of breast cancer, but believe its ability to reduce inflammation may play a part.

Women using another form of painkiller, ibuprofen, also showed a reduction in risk but the effect was weaker than for aspirin. Their risk fell by 8 per cent if they used ibuprofen three times or more per week.

Researcher Mary Beth Terry said it was vital that more research was carried out into the remarkable potential of using aspirin to cut the risk of breast cancer, especially in older women who are at greater risk.

She warned that the potential benefits needed to be balanced against possible harmful effects of long-term aspirin use, such as peptic ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding.

British researchers are already looking into the possibility that aspirin may help prevent bowel cancer. Other studies have shown a reduction in risk for cancers of the pancreas, oesophagus and prostate among regular aspirin users. The drug also appears to have a protective effect against lung cancer.

Aspirin is already taken daily by more than two million angina sufferers and heart attack survivors in the UK to protect against further attacks. Thousands more take it to ward off heart disease.

Those under 45 were most likely to delay seeing a doctor through embarrassment, said Cancer Research UK.

One in three men admitted they had only been to the doctor in the end because their partner made them.