In recent years there has been quite a lot of interest among scientists and doctors about the idea that aspirin could help prevent certain types of cancer.

Several studies have looked at this in breast cancer, where it is possible that aspirin might reduce the level of oestrogen in a woman’s body, which could help lower her chances of getting a breast cancer.

A recent study from the USA has looked at nearly 3000 women, half with breast cancer, and half who did not have the condition.  It found that those women who had previously taken at least one aspirin tablet a week for six months or more, seemed to have a lower risk of getting breast cancer.  This only applied to those cancers which were sensitive to hormones (oestrogen-receptor positive, or ER+, tumours), suggesting that there could be a link between taking aspirin and lowering oestrogen hormone levels.    Those breast cancers without oestrogen receptors (ER- tumours) were equally common in both groups of women.

Although this study is interesting, and some other studies have reported similar results, aspirin can have side-effects, and until there is more certain scientific evidence for its benefits it is really too soon to say for certain that taking the drug is a good way of reducing a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer.