People who have a high risk of getting squamous cell carcinoma (the most common type of skin cancer) taking over-the-counter painkillers could actually be doing them a favor, according to a study published today in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Study co-author Catherine Olsen and her team, from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland, did a meta-analysis of nine studies on the use of painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and the occurrence of skin cancer.
She said her team “synthesised all the published literature and found a reduced risk associated with NSAID use in total (18%) and also non-aspirin NSAIDs (15%)”. NSAIDs had the biggest impact on people who had previously had skin cancer, or people with solar keratoses, which are growths with the potential to become cancerous.
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“We would like to think it may be another way to reduce your risk of developing these cancers,” Dr Olsen said. “Of course, the best way is to reduce your sun exposure – that will always be the number one preventative action for skin cancers – but this might be a supplementary skin cancer control measure.”
Andrew Miller, clinical senior lecturer in dermatology at Australian National University, expressed some caution about the results.
“Aspirin is a cheap drug, and if you can use a cheap drug to deal with an expensive problem, then it’s worthwhile taking on,” he said. “But they [NSAIDS] are not benign drugs so you certainly can’t make a treatment recommendation at this stage.”
Olsen said this shouldn’t be a go-to for those heading out to the pool, though.
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“There are significant side effects associated with these drugs, so anyone who wants to know more should speak to their health professional,” she said.
Olsen and her team are planning a study of nearly 44,000 Queenslanders to monitor their NSAID use and incidence of squamous cell carcinoma. This will help provide more information on the dose and duration of use required to have a cancer preventative effect.
[Photo from flickr user Emma]
