According to a study conducted in the United States, taking aspirin may reduce the risk of melanoma developing in postmenopausal women.
Taking aspirin could decrease the risk of melanoma in postmenopausal women, indicates an observational study conducted in the United States, published online in the journal Cancer on March 11 and reported by the APM Agency.
Dr. Jean Tang of Stanford University School of Medicine and Cancer Institute and his team sought to identify the effects of consuming aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) other than aspirin, paracetamol and from the lack of consumption of these products on the development of melanoma.
Thus, they followed over 12 years a cohort of 59,806 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years. The study authors took into account the participants’ skin type, tanning practices, sunscreen use, and other potential confounding factors. They also filled out a questionnaire on the type of medication they used, their eating habits, as well as the details of their sports activities. Of the participants, 25% consumed aspirin, 15% non-aspirin NSAIDs, and 60% did not consume any NSAIDs. Researchers have counted only 548 cases of melanoma.
Analysis of the data indicates that postmenopausal women consuming aspirin have a 21% lower risk of developing melanoma compared to women not consuming any NSAIDs, a “statistically significant” difference, they specify.
This risk would decrease all the more if the aspirin intake is continued over time: 11% with consumption less than one year, 21% between one and four years and 30% for at least five years. On the other hand, the consumption of paracetamol or NSAIDs other than aspirin has not shown any effect on the risk of this skin cancer.
“This potentially protective effect against melanoma could be linked to the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin”, assumes Dr. Tang, even if these results need to be validated by a clinical trial. As a reminder, in May 2012, a Danish study had already highlighted the possible relationship in terms of prevention between aspirin and melanoma.
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