Ibuprofen reduces breast cancer risk
The International Ibuprofen Foundation welcomes the news that long-term use of ibuprofen nearly halves the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to US
investigators.

Their findings, announced in a report of the 94th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Toronto, come from a new analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative Study (a large ongoing study of the causes of death and illness in postmenopausal women aged 50 - 79).

Of a total of 80,741 women who did not have cancer at the beginning of the study, 1392 subsequently developed breast cancer. Comparing the use of NSAIDs in these two groups, the investigators found that taking at least 2 tablets per week regularly was associated with a 21% reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

Importantly, they also found that longer use of NSAIDs was associated with greater protection: 10 years’ regular use was linked with a 28% lower risk. When long-term data for ibuprofen were analysed separately, the risk of breast cancer was
reduced by 49%. All figures were statistically significant.

The investigators looked for other factors that might explain their findings but body mass, use of HRT, family history and number of children did not correlate with the reduction in risk.

They concluded that ibuprofen and other NSAIDs may
have a chemopreventive effect against breast
cancer in postmenopausal women.

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