ASA risks Aspirin is a skin cancer risk, according to research

How does taking aspirin affect the risk of skin cancer??

For example, aspirin is used by many people to treat headaches. However, the use of aspirin should be handled carefully, especially if you are a man. Researchers now found that daily intake of aspirin can double the risk of developing skin cancer for men.

The researchers at Northwestern University found in their recent research that taking aspirin on a regular basis can double the risk of skin cancer, but only in men. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology".

Aspirin can protect against heart attack or stroke

Doctors recommend that some people take a small dose of aspirin daily in order to prevent a heart attack or stroke. The well-known painkiller is also said to reduce the risk of cancer of the breast, intestine, prostate and stomach, explain the experts. However, the daily intake of aspirin doubles the risk of skin cancer in men, according to the current study.

Many older people use aspirin daily

Nearly half of people aged 65 and over reported taking aspirin on a regular basis - if they did not use the drug daily, they used it at least every other day, the study authors said.

Study analyzed data from nearly 200,000 participants

For their current research, the experts analyzed the medical data of nearly 200,000 patients, some of whom used aspirin. The study participants were between 18 and 98 years of age and had no history of melanoma. Subjects had taken aspirin for at least one year between January 2005 and December 2006. Follow-up medical monitoring over a five-year period examined whether melanoma had formed during this period.

Aspirin increases the skin cancer risk in men massively

Out of a total of 195,140 volunteers, 1,187 patients took aspirin. Of these 1,187 participants, 2.19 percent developed melanomas, the authors explain. By comparison, 1,676 (0.86 percent) of the non-aspirin participants developed melanomas. The groups were then divided into men and women. The analysis suggested that men exposed to aspirin were nearly twice as likely to develop melanoma diagnosis.

Society should be aware of the dangers of aspirin

Given the widespread use of aspirin and the potential clinical implications associated with melanoma, patients and healthcare providers need to be aware that the use of aspirin in men can potentially lead to skin cancer, said study author Dr. Beatrice Nardone from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in a press release. However, this should not result in men stopping their aspirin therapy if they are at an increased risk of having a heart attack.

Why are men more susceptible to skin cancer??

One reason why men may be more susceptible to skin cancer is a lower amount of skin cancer protective enzymes compared to the amount of enzymes in women, the researchers say. Lower levels of protective enzymes suggest that higher levels of resulting oxidative cell damage in males may contribute to the development of melanoma. Nardone added. (As)