Aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for patients who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer

It is important to realize that this is an observational study, and in such a study we cannot prove that aspirin causes improved survival. It is also important to understand that aspirin intake can have detrimental side effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding.  To prove that aspirin can improve survival in women with breast cancer and to ultimately change clinical practice would require a clinical trial. However, women with breast cancer who are already advised by their doctors to take aspirin for another reason (for instance, heart disease prevention) might take comfort that the aspirin might also be preventing recurrence of their breast cancer

Bibliographic Reference:

Holmes MD et al.: "Aspirin Intake and Survival After Breast Cancer", J Clin Oncol. 2010 Feb 16. [Epub ahead of print]

Michelle D. Holmes

Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA , USA