Aspirin may cut cancer deaths slightly

U.S. researchers say women who take aspirin may have a lower risk of dying from cancer and heart disease.

A report, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, looked at data from 22,500 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Iowa Women's Health Study, WebMD said Wednesday.

Compared with women who never used aspirin, aspirin users were 13 percent less likely to die of cancer, 25 percent less likely to die of heart disease and 18 percent less likely to die of any cause during the study, WebMD said.

While the study didn't directly test aspirin's ability to block cancer, researchers say aspirin may provide a modest edge against cancer, cancer deaths, and heart disease deaths.

Dr. Aditya Bardia of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues said non-aspirin NSAID use was not associated with decreased risk, the Mayo Clinic said in a release.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International