Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Wonder Drug: Not Just For Hangovers Anymore

Incredible news, and applicable to TNBC, which in previous studies wasn't proven.

...It affected both estrogen-positive tumors and those not fueled by the hormone...

Aspirin cuts death risk after breast cancer

Large study of nurses showed 50 percent lower risk cancer would spread

WASHINGTON - Breast cancer survivors who take aspirin regularly may be less likely to die or have their cancer return, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday.

The study of more than 4,000 nurses showed that those who took aspirin — usually to prevent heart disease — had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from breast cancer and a 50 percent lower risk that the cancer would spread.

"This is the first study to find that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for women who have been treated for early stage breast cancer, " said Dr. Michelle Holmes of Harvard Medical School, who led the study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"If these findings are confirmed in other clinical trials, taking aspirin may become another simple, low-cost and relatively safe tool to help women with breast cancer live longer, healthier lives," Holmes added in a statement.

Holmes and her team studied 4,164 female registered nurses taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, an ongoing analysis of a wide range of health issues.

They started in 1976, looking at who took aspirin, watching for breast cancer and all causes of death until 2006.

Over this time, 341 of the nurses died of breast cancer.

Women who took 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. Six to seven aspirins a week lowered the risk of spread by 43 percent and the risk of breast cancer death by 64 percent.

Most of the women were taking low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and stroke.

Ibuprofen and naproxen appear to lower risk too

Other drugs in the same class as aspirin also apparently lowered the risks, too. These drugs, called non-steroidal inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, include ibuprofen and naproxen but not acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol.

But there was not enough data on these drugs to give a clear answer.

The researchers said they are not sure how aspirin and other NSAIDS may affect tumors but it could be by lowering inflammation. Other studies have shown that aspirin and ibuprofen can lower colon cancer risk, for instance.

"Aspirin has relatively benign adverse effects compared with cancer chemotherapeutic drugs and may also prevent colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke," the researchers wrote. It affected both estrogen-positive tumors and those not fueled by the hormone.

Holmes' team stressed that patients should not take aspirin while undergoing radiation or chemotherapy because of the risk of side effects.

And aspirin can cause stomach bleeding so it should not be taken without a doctor's supervision.


5 comments:

Jude said...

Wow, thanks for this John! I'm passing it along to 3 ladies in my life! :-)

Anonymous said...
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順其自然 said...
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Anonymous said...

Cured of TNBC!
I want to take this time out as a cancer survivor to encourage women out there still suffering from this with my story on how i got a cure. The sad news about it is that i was diagnosed on my 36th birthday in 2008 and with stage 3 TNBC which after i made research was a very aggressive form of cancer at that point i decided and told myself i was going to die and that the end has finally come. All my life i never thought of having breast cancer because i was very active and i worked out at the gym several times every week and my diet was okay. In my search for a cure after 6 years of diagnosis and even after chemo which i did twice spending thousands of dollars but to no avail, until a church member told me all about Dr Aleta a herbal doctor that specializes in treating TNBC, who could help me with a permanent cure, i doubted this at first but i later gave it a try following her methods and instructions. It took 3 months and after it all i felt normal but still went for diagnosis and i was clean today i am proud to say i am a cancer survivor no nodes and i am totally free the new diagnosis confirmed it. Do not die in silence or ignorance reach her on aletedwin@gmail.com don't be shy just speak to her today.

Unknown said...

In 2011 at age of 29 years, I was told I had fibroid. My doctor, who did surgery to remove the fibroids in 2014, said that I had a lump in my stomach which was very big. I had experienced no pain whatsoever with this condition only a slight discharge which caused me to go to see the doctor in the first place. He operated a couple of weeks later and found that I had bilateral cysts and removed my right ovary which was 8" in diameter and was fully cystic and also removed what he could of the cyst that was on my left ovary, leaving me with what he described as a "fraction" of my ovary. They were diagnosed as chocolate cysts and he said that if I didn't have children within five years, it was unlikely that I would have any. I married in 2015, came in contact with Dr. Leonard's herbal medicine early last year and now gave birth to my daughter. I never had any problems again in this regard and he said that the herbal medicine would also help prevent any further fibroids and cysts from forming which I now believe am free from these ailment. This may give some hope to people who find themselves in a similar situation. I often wonder how many children I would end up with if I had two full working ovaries. drleonard288@gmail.com