"These findings, if confirmed, add another variable to the complex risk-benefit profile of aspirin," said Eva Schernhammer, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University Medical School, and lead investigator of the study.
"Women need to discuss their situation with their doctor before making any decisions on their own about the use of aspirin," she added. The Nurses' Health Study, initiated in 1976 at Brigham and Women's Hospital, is the longest-running major women's health study ever undertaken. Study findings have resulted in hundreds of journal articles, many containing groundbreaking research on how to prevent some of the major causes of disease and death in women.
In vitro experiments and limited animal studies have suggested that aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) may inhibit pancreatic cancer; but few studies have examined the association between aspirin use and pancreatic cancer in humans and these results have been inconsistent.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2003, about 30,700 people in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and about 30,000 will die of the disease. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer. About two out of 10 patients live at least one year after the cancer is found, but very few survive for five years.
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Contact: Aimee Frank
amf@spectrumscience.com
202-955-6222
American Association for Cancer Research
31-Dec-2000