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• Health Recommendations From Study on Aspirin and Lung Cancer Are Premature 

An epidemiological study published earlier this week in the British Journal of Cancer by NYU School of Medicine researchers shows an association between regular use of aspirin and reduced risk of a common type of lung cancer in women. But the NYU researchers emphasized today that until large clinical trials establish aspirin's beneficial effect, women shouldn't start taking the painkiller to prevent cancer.

"The results of our study suggest that aspirin may have even wider benefits than previously thought, " says Arslan Akhmedkhanov, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU School of Medicine, one of the study's authors. "However, we consider our results preliminary. Larger studies are needed to confirm our study's results before any recommendations about aspirin use for the prevention of lung cancer can be made, " he says. . .

Women should not begin taking aspirin to prevent lung cancer, cautions Dr. Akhmedkhanov. Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and raise the risk of other bleeding disorders, especially in those with a family history of bleeding disorders. The exact dose of aspirin that should be taken also needs to be determined. Any woman who decides to take aspirin routinely should first consult her primary care physician, he advises.

"Aspirin definitely has side effects, " says Dr. Akhmedkhanov. "By far, the best way to avoid lung cancer is to not smoke, " he says.

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