From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…
Every month, I’ll be
highlighting breast cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from
different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into
understandable English and share them with you. Today: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/aspirin-ibuprofen-may-reduce-risk-for-some
Simple, right? According to the article, taking aspirin,
ibuprofen, and naproxene (note here that TYLENOL or acetaminophen is NOT
included. It works differently than these others do – they reduce inflammation;
acetaminophen most likely affects the central nervous system where the others
interfere with a complex chain of chemical transmissions).
And it makes sense, too as long as you know HOW it’s all
connected. That’s what I’m here for. First the basis of the conclusion:
“...chronic inflammation might increase the risk of breast
cancer recurrence...high levels of circulating acute phase proteins (APPs)
approximately 3 years after treatment were associated with a two-fold elevation
in the risk of subsequent disease recurrence and mortality...the findings of
Pierce et al are novel in suggesting that serum inflammatory markers might
provide early information about disease recurrence risk...a new strategy for
assessing the risk of breast cancer recurrence in seemingly cured patients...As
the evidence linking chronic inflammation to breast cancer progression grows,
it becomes increasingly important to understand why this risk exists and what
can be done to ameliorate it...”
So – inflammation (swelling, tenderness, pain) appears to go
hand-in-hand with a recurrence of breast cancer, possibly being a key to WHY it
begins. If inflammation can be controlled, then it may be possible to head off
the recurrence of breast cancer. “[T]hese medicines may help reduce the risk of
recurrence of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in overweight and obese
women and may also reduce the risk of breast cancer spreading to the lymph
nodes.”
Why is this an issue only for overweight and obese women?
According to the article above: “fat cells make estrogen; extra fat cells mean
more estrogen in the body and estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive
breast cancers develop and grow.”
Keep in mind however that “more is NOT better”!
“Regularly taking NSAIDs [Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs]
can cause side effects, including bleeding, stomach ulcers, liver and kidney
damage, and other serious problems. While the [results of the study] are very
encouraging, more research is needed before doctors know if NSAIDs can help
treat breast cancer. Until those studies are done, doctors don’t advise
regularly taking NSAIDs to reduce recurrence risk.”
Stay tuned for further developments – better still,
regularly surf the net for current research into prevention, treatment, and
containment of breast cancer!
Resources: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/27/21/3418.full,
http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2008/04/professor/01/
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