Can Aspirin Prevent Ovarian Cancer?
You’ve heard that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” — maybe we should change that to “An aspirin a day. . .”. You’ve also heard doctors recommend that men over age 40 and women at increased risk for heart disease take a baby aspirin a day to reduce heart disease risk. Now women may have even more reason to consider aspirin therapy. A study reported at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists annual meeting (3/6/01) suggests that long-term aspirin use may decrease the risk of the most common form of ovarian cancer. This prospective study evaluated 748 women for an average of 12 years. Initial results suggest that aspirin use three or more times per week for at least six months may reduce the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer by 40%. The study was conducted by Dr. Arslan Akhmedkhanov M.D. and his colleagues at New York University School of Medicine, New York and Dr. I. Kato, M. D., Ph.D., at Wayne State University in Detroit. “Evidence suggests that chronic inflammation, similar to t
