Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), especially aspirin, may decrease the risk of bladder cancer according to a new study led by Dr. Margaret Karagas of Dartmouth Medical School.

The findings point to a decrease in risk for bladder cancer, especially advanced, high-grade tumors that contain alternations in the tumor suppressor protein TP53, with NSAID use. There was no correlation between the use of acetaminophen and risk of bladder cancer.

The study also showed an increased risk of cancer among users of phenacetin-containing analgesics, which were withdrawn in the 1980s.

A new study provides more evidence that the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. This study was of Medicare patients who had been taking NSAIDs such as aspirin for osteoarthritis and was conducted by a Massachusetts General Hospital team led by Elizabeth Lamont, MD, MS.

The study agrees with previous research which showed a relationship between NSAID use and the development of precancerous polyps.

Lamont states that it is "good news for people who take NSAIDs regularly for osteoarthritis, " but that since there are risks such as bleeding or kidney damage associated with NSAID use, NSAIDs should not be used solely in a effort to prevent cancer.

Lamont cautions that this was a "natural experiment" in which data from patients taking NSAIDs was compared to data from those who don't, but that the ideal to test this relationship would be a randomized clinical trial.

The old saying an aspirin a day keeps the doctor away seems to apply for certain cancers now. Researchers reported that aspirin and other NSAIDs decrease the risk of progression of the most aggressive form of Barrett's esophagus to esophageal cancer. In a study NSAID users took the drug at least once a week for six or more months any time during follow-up, regardless of daily frequency, duration, or type, the researchers reported. Galipeau and colleagues also found that those with three or more of the biomarkers who used aspirin or other NSAIDs had a 30% risk of esophageal cancer after 10 years, while those with the same biomarkers who did not use NSAIDs had a 79% risk of developing cancer within a decade.

The vast majority of patients in this cohort had gastroesophageal reflux disease and were undergoing therapy, mainly with proton-pump inhibitors. It is unclear how the frequency or severity of symptoms may have affected NSAID use by participants, the researchers said. However, to their knowledge, they said, symptoms from reflux are not associated with intermediate endpoints or cancer in Barrett's esophagus, so it is unlikely that symptoms could explain the association of NSAID use with reduced risk of esophageal cancer. The findings may help identify patients who may benefit most from a very cost-effective, noninvasive therapy in the form of aspirin or NSAIDS.

Aspirin, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are known to halt the growth of some cancers, such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer, but no one could really explain why. Obviously, as a result it was believed that chronic inflammation might be leading to increased cancer risks. Still, no one could explain how any of this was happening enough to harness the ability to replicate it.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Columbia University Medical Center researchers have announced the discovery of a novel tumor suppressor gene that works with NSAIDS to stop the growth of cancer cells.

"Current clinical trials are evaluating a range of NSAIDs for a variety of cancers without any clear vision of the best way to use them," states Towia Libermann, PhD, Director of the BIDMC Genomics Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "The fact that upregulation of this single gene MDA-7/IL-24 -- correlated not only with cell death induction of numerous types of cancer but also among various diverse classes of NSAIDs, makes this discovery particularly exciting."

As a result of this discovery, researchers believe newer targeted cancer therapies can be developed. To read more about the discovery, visit Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Columbia University Medical Center's Study Explains How NSAIDs Halt Cancer Growth.

Some of the previous posts we have on inflammation, cancer and aspirin are:

• Aspirin: amazing wonder drug in fighting cancer
• Inflammation link between rheumatoid arthritis and cancer
• What aspirin reveals about cancer

The National Cancer institute reports that about two to five percent of all malignancies diagnosed in the United States are head and neck cancers. About 39,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. In a long term study aspirin use taken over a long duration cut the risk of head and neck cancer by 30 percent. It wasn't so much the amount of aspirin that was taken but the length of time that people were on the drug that mattered.

Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDS). Experts believe that aspirin could be a cancer preventing medication but more studies need to be conducted to see if the rewards outweigh the risks of taking aspirin on a daily basis. There is a chance of gastrointestinal bleeding associated with daily use and it is not recommended that anyone start on an aspirin regime without discussing it with his or her physician first.

No one is suggesting that men start taking aspirin for prostate health if they are not already taking aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for other reasons. However, Mayo Clinic researchers do say that men who are already taking a daily dose of aspirin might be enjoying a better level of prostate health. According to researchers, aspirin seems to prevent or delay an enlarged prostate that can lead to urinary difficulties such as frequent urination, trouble urinating, weak urine stream and an urgent need to urinate.

While the researchers cannot state why NSAIDs benefit prostate health for benign prostatic hyperplasia, previous research has indicated aspirin provides certain prostate cancer prevention benefits. Many older adults already take aspirin, or other NSAIDs, for heart health and arthritis, and taking aspirin now appears to offer another added benefit in prostate health for men. Aspirin is not without its downside. Researchers do warn that taking aspirin can lead to stomach ulcers. As with any drug, one has to weigh the risk against the benefit.