The anti-cancer properties of aspirin have been under investigation for over 20 years now as there have been numerous data linking the two concepts together. Recently, research results show that the actual anti-cancer action of aspirin kicks in after 3 years of a low dose regimen. Previous studies have also speculated on aspirin's preventative properties against colon, skin, esophageal, and prostate cancers. It's potential for the prevention of breast cancer has also been explored.
Although the drug's mechanism of action for the prevention of the growth and dissemination of breast cancer is still to be fully understood, researchers are proposing that it could be because aspirin is able to interfere with stem cell activities that are thought to stimulate the growth of the tumor. A new study is now underway in an effort to establish the effect of aspirin intake of obese or overweight women who aren't being treated for breast cancer. 440 women who have been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer were treated between 1987 and 2011 at the University of Texas Health Science Center and at the START Center for Cancer Care. 25.8% of these women were overweight and 58.5 were classified as obese. Of the total number of subjects, 81% took aspirin. What researchers found was that the subjects whose body mass indexes were over 30 were 52% less prone to the recurrence of breast cancer, if the cancer did recur, they had a 28-month delay compared to the subjects who did not take aspirin, or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), at all.
According to author, Dr. Linda De Graffenreid, "These results suggest that NSAIDs may improve response to hormone therapy, thereby allowing more women to remain on hormone therapy rather than needing to change to chemotherapy and deal with the associated side effects and complications. However, these results are preliminary, and patients should never undertake any treatment without consulting their physician."