An Aspirin A Day May Keep Ovarian Cancer Away?
It's one of the most feared diseases. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2013, about 22,240 new cases of it will be diagnosed and 14,030 women will die of it in the United States.
We're talking about ovarian cancer and it's so deadly because it's most often diagnosed at a late stage, when it may already have spread to other organs.
But what if there were something simple you could take every day to try to prevent this disease? What if it were something that's also supposed to ward off heart attacks and colon cancer, too?
It's the miraculous aspirin.
According to newswise.com, women who take aspirin daily may reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, according to a study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
"Symptoms associated with this disease can mimic more common conditions, such as digestive and bladder disorders, so for this reason and others, it is often not diagnosed until it has reached advanced stages," the Web site reports. Late-stage ovarian cancer leaves women with limited treatment options and poor prognoses, making preventive strategies potentially important for controlling this disease.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the same year I had a recurrence of breast cancer. Hers had spread but only within her reproductive organs. Still, she was given a 50% chance of recurrence. Seven years later, she is still disease-free.
Chronic or persistent inflammation has been shown to increase the risk of cancer and other diseases. Previous studies have suggested that the anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin and non-aspirin NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), may reduce cancer risk overall.
I, too, am at a higher risk for this illness because of my own cancer. Breast and ovarian cancer are often linked. So I'm thinking about starting an aspirin regimen.
But before you go buying Bayer stock, studies have not yet been completely confirmed so physicians may be averse to telling women to take aspirin every day. But, could it hurt?
We're talking about ovarian cancer and it's so deadly because it's most often diagnosed at a late stage, when it may already have spread to other organs.
But what if there were something simple you could take every day to try to prevent this disease? What if it were something that's also supposed to ward off heart attacks and colon cancer, too?
It's the miraculous aspirin.
According to newswise.com, women who take aspirin daily may reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, according to a study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
"Symptoms associated with this disease can mimic more common conditions, such as digestive and bladder disorders, so for this reason and others, it is often not diagnosed until it has reached advanced stages," the Web site reports. Late-stage ovarian cancer leaves women with limited treatment options and poor prognoses, making preventive strategies potentially important for controlling this disease.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the same year I had a recurrence of breast cancer. Hers had spread but only within her reproductive organs. Still, she was given a 50% chance of recurrence. Seven years later, she is still disease-free.
Chronic or persistent inflammation has been shown to increase the risk of cancer and other diseases. Previous studies have suggested that the anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin and non-aspirin NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), may reduce cancer risk overall.
I, too, am at a higher risk for this illness because of my own cancer. Breast and ovarian cancer are often linked. So I'm thinking about starting an aspirin regimen.
But before you go buying Bayer stock, studies have not yet been completely confirmed so physicians may be averse to telling women to take aspirin every day. But, could it hurt?
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