Aspirin may lower risk of skin cancer in women: study

Aspirin has always been know as an over-the-counter drug that fights pain and even lower the risk of heart attacks, but now, a new study reveals the benefits may be much greater.

The study of nearly 60,000 post-menopausal women found that those who use aspirin regularly (two or three times a week) were 21 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

"This is one of many studies looking at the relationship between aspirin use and melanoma," says ABC News' chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser. "Some have found an association between taking aspirin and having a lower risk of melanoma and some have not.”

Dr. Jean Tang -- lead researcher from Stanford University School of Medicine's Cancer Institute -- found that the longer the participants took aspirin, the lower their risk.

Those who had used aspirin for one to four years had an 11 per cent risk reduction, while those who kept using the drug after five years saw a 30 per cent risk reduction.

"These findings suggest that aspirin may have a chemopreventive effect against the development of melanoma," Dr. Tang and colleagues write in their report published Tuesday in the journal Cancer. "Further clinical investigation is warranted"

The study concentrated on Caucasian women, who are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. In their calculations, the researchers also took into account other risk factors, such as difference in pigmentation, tanning practices and sunscreen use.

The data was taken from the Women’s Health Initiative, a massive U.S. study that began collecting women’s health information in 1991.

While the researchers aren’t completely sure why aspirin could reduce melanoma risk, they do offer theories.

“Aspirin reduces inflammation,” Tang says. “Cancer cells with a lot of inflammation grow more and are more aggressive."

A 2011 study of 1,000 people found that the risk of melanoma was cut almost in half when people took a daily dose of aspirin for at least five years.

Aspirin has also been linked to a lower risk of liver, colon, breast and lung cancer.

But experts say it may be too soon to recommend aspirin for cancer prevention.

“I think it is too early to tell women to change their behavior, unless they would be taking it for the cardiovascular benefit also,” Dr. Jenny Kim, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California tells NBC News.

“Before we can recommend that patients start taking aspirin to prevent melanoma we need to have some randomized controlled trials.”

“The jury is still out," agrees Besser. "It's so important for people to remember that although you can buy aspirin over the counter, it is a real drug with significant side effects. It can increase your risk of having a stomach ulcer or a gastrointestinal bleed."