Aspirin has been known to slow the devastating effects of heart attacks and now the drug along with other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers may help protect against skin cancer according to a report published in the journal Cancer.
Researchers examined 19 years of skin cancer records in northern Denmark and then compared the rates of skin cancer in those who took aspirin on a regular basis and those patients who did not. The researchers at??Aarhus University Hospital and two California institutions (the Cancer Prevention Institute in Fremont and?Stanford University?School of Medicine) chose Denmark because of the extensive medical records offered throughout the country and because patients get a partial price break when they receive prescription NSAIDs rather than buying them over the counter.
The group then looked for Squamous cell carcinoma,?Basal cell carcinoma?and?Malignant melanoma.?Examining?1,974 cases of?squamous cell carcinoma, 13,316 cases of?basal cell carcinoma?and 3,242 cases of malignant melanoma. The researchers took their findings and compared each group to 10 people who did not have cancer from the same population based on age, gender and the county in which they lived. Next the researchers examined which type of drugs each user was prescribed.
Researchers found that NSAIDs users (at least two prescriptions) were 15% and 13% less likely to develop squamous cell carinoma or malignant melanoma. Researchers did not however find a reduction of risk for basal cell carcinoma.
Researchers also discovered similar results with acetaminophen however why such declines occurred with that drug is not known.
Aspirin and other NSAIDs are believed to work in the fight against cancer in a variety of ways. According to the?LA Times:
?Aspirin and other NSAIDs act in the body in a variety of ways. They fight pain, fevers andinflammation?through blocking the action of two enzymes, Cox-1 and Cox-2, that are involved in the production of substances called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins do a broad array of jobs in the body ? among them are pain mediation,?fever?production and promotion of inflammation. By reducing the output of prostaglandins, therefore, all these three things are reduced.?
Are you surprised by the results of this study?
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Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC) is celebrating the opening of its new Health and Fitness Center, a state-of-the-art facility providing a safe and inviting public space for fitness, nutrition and medical care in the heart of Chicago?s Lawndale neighborhood. Mayor Rahm Emanuel participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week at the Center, alongside local, state and federal officials, as well as staff and supporters of LCHC. 
