document: Can painkillers prevent melanoma ? By Alison McCook NEW YORK -LRB- Reuters Health -RRB- - New findings add to confusion over whether taking aspirin , ibuprofen or related painkillers reduces the risk of developing melanoma . Animal experiments have suggested that the class of painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -LRB- NSAIDs -RRB- could play a role in preventing melanoma , but a large 2008 study failed to find any evidence to support this possibility . Now , a smaller study that asked people with melanoma and those without the disease to recall their use of NSAIDs has found that taking these drugs - particularly aspirin - at least once a week for more than 5 years may have offered some protection against the deadly disease . The findings are interesting , but should not lead people to conclude that popping a few painkillers will reduce their risk of skin cancer , cautioned Dr. Maryam Asgari of Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the University of California San Francisco , who co-authored the 2008 study . NSAIDs - which include aspirin , naproxen -LRB- marketed as Aleve -RRB- , and ibuprofen -LRB- Advil -RRB- - have side effects , she noted , such as stomach bleeding . People with a family history of melanoma are better off wearing sunscreen and getting regular skin checks from a dermatologist , Asgari recommended . '' `` I think it 's just too early '' '' to say NSAIDs offer any protection , she said . '' `` I think the jury is still out . '' '' There 's reason to hope NSAIDs might offer some protection against this type of cancer , however - earlier this year , a review found that people who use painkillers such as ibuprofen on a regular basis may be less likely to get bladder cancer . Other research has consistently supported the benefits of NSAIDs in preventing colorectal cancer , and provided some evidence they may work for breast , esophagus , and stomach cancers , as well . Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer , killing almost 9,000 people in the U.S. last year , according to the National Cancer Institute . To investigate whether NSAIDs offer any protection , Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski of Harvard Medical School and the University of Arizona asked 400 people diagnosed with melanoma and 600 similar people without the disease to recall their use of the painkillers . The researchers found that people without cancer had a longer history of taking NSAIDs than people who eventually developed melanoma . Specifically , more than 40 percent of people who were cancer-free said they 'd been taking NSAIDs at least once per week for more than 5 years , versus only 28 percent of those who developed melanoma . Overall , regular use of NSAIDs for more than 5 years appeared to reduce the risk of developing cancer by more than 40 percent , the authors report in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology . Unfortunately , the technique - comparing people with melanoma to those without - is fraught with potential problems , said Asgari . For one , you have to get the comparison right , she noted ; there 's always a concern that people without cancer who agree to participate in the study may be more health conscious to begin with , and it 's this that protects them from cancer , not their use of NSAIDs . '' `` Did you somehow get a biased sample of people , and is that why you 're seeing this difference ? '' '' Her 2008 study analyzed data from nearly 64,000 people who were melanoma-free at the beginning of the investigation , then followed them for a few years to see who developed the disease . She and her colleagues found no evidence that taking NSAIDs had any effect on risk of developing the deadly skin cancer . As a result , '' `` I would n't recommend -LRB- taking NSAIDs to reduce melanoma -RRB- just based on this '' '' new study , Asgari noted . SOURCE : bit.ly / hjf0o1 Journal of Investigative Dermatology , March 10 , 2011 .
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