Prevent Breast Cancer with Aspirin and Motrin – Not!
Prevent Breast Cancer with Aspirin and Motrin – Not!
“Risk of Breast Cancer Cut Sharply by Regular Ibuprofen” announced the headlines in newspapers nationwide on April 10, 2003.1 The story claimed women can reduce their risk by as much as half by regular use of aspirin or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin)*. The source of funding of this study will not be known until it is published; however, there are ties between this kind of research and the drug industry already.
Randall Harris, a professor of epidemiology and biometrics at Ohio State University and lead investigator of a study on breast cancer and certain anti-inflammatory drugs, said the following, “ The evidence . . . is compelling and converging that relatively harmless and inexpensive compounds such as aspirin and ibuprofen, already used by millions, reduce the risk of breast cancer and other forms of cancer.2 Dr. Harris said he thinks women should begin to “seriously consider” taking a standard dose of ibuprofen (200 milligrams) or ASA (plain adult aspirin at 325 mg) daily beginning at age 40 as an effective means of lowering their risk of breast cancer. He himself swallows an ibuprofen tablet daily because he believes it will be proven to prevent other forms of cancer as well. Randall Harris’ research is funded by a pharmaceutical company, G.D Searle & Co.3 Searle produces a COX-2 inhibitor, Celebrex, which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and was linked to 10 deaths and 11 gastrointestinal hemorrhages in the three months following approval in January, 1999 for use in rheumatoid arthritis.4 Nearly 40 million prescriptions were written for COX-2 inhibitors over a 12-month period in the United States as reported in 2000.5 Searle also makes another NSAID, Arthrotec.
A thorough review of the possibility of reduction of breast cancer risk by these types of drugs was published in December of 2002 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention and no breast cancer reduction benefits were found with NSAIDs other than aspirin.6 This study, supported by the National Cancer Institute, suggested a 20% reduction in risk of breast cancer for women taking aspirin six or more times a week. However, other studies have failed to support this breast cancer benefit (even for aspirin).7
NSADs and Cox-2 drugs
These drugs are classified as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (abbreviated NSAIDs). They exert their effects by inhibiting enzymes involved in inflammation
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