New study shows taking aspirin reduces skin cancer risk

I'm sure that more than a few of you who know me and have read my newsletters on the subject of the dangers of taking aspirin are wondering about me, right about now.  I've decided that it's time for us to understand the facts behind the headlines concerning the latest study that is making news...that taking one aspirin a day reduces the risk of contracting skin cancer in women over 50.

The most important fact that we need to know is that all studies are NOT created equally.  This particular study is called a, "case history," study.  That means that researchers decided to check out the results of other research.  Case history studies are the least reliable and the most biased and the ones the media most frequently report.  Double-blind, randomized trial studies are the most reliable and least prone to bias (although all studies contain some bias).  You'll notice that no such trials on the efficacy of skin cancer and aspirin were done.

There are medical studies that show that aspirin actually causes inflammation, although the authors of this study claim that it decreases inflammation.  In truth, in the short term, aspirin does reduce inflammation.  However, long term usage is known to cause what's called, "rebound inflammation."  Just ask anyone who is aspirin-sensitive about that problem.  There are also medical studies which have shown long-term aspirin usage causes a 35% increase in cardiovascular damage. Studies done in Europe on the affects of the use of anti-inflammatory medication, show a significant increase in the incidence of heart attacks and stroke.  So, please, don't place faith in case history studies when deciding whether or not to take aspirin as part of a "health" program.

Here is what was said, in part, about skin cancer and taking aspirin:

The researchers don’t know how aspirin lowers melanoma risk, but they’ve got some theories. (I put that word in bold)

“Aspirin reduces inflammation,” Tang said. “Cancer cells with a lot of inflammation grow more and are more aggressive." Tang added that cancer cells tend to produce in excess the very same substance that aspirin and other NSAIDs knock back. 

The researchers failed to find a reduction in risk with other NSAIDs, however.

The new study, coupled with earlier evidence, makes a good case for aspirin’s anti-cancer properties, experts said.

Still, the effect may not be strong enough to counter aspirin’s possible side effects for people who have been told they shouldn't take the medication, said Dr. Robert Stern, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and chief of dermatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. Stern co-authored a study published in 2011 that also found that aspirin reduced melanoma risk by 50 percent.

But for those who are sitting on the fence as to whether they should take aspirin for prevention of heart disease, this new research might be enough to push them over the edge since the benefits would now potentially be two-fold.

“I think it is too early to tell women to change their behavior, unless they would be taking it for the cardiovascular benefit also,” said Dr. Jenny Kim, an associate professor of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Before we can recommend that patients start taking aspirin to prevent melanoma we need to have some randomized controlled trials.”