Aspirin, ibuprofen may lower melanoma risk

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AARHUS, Denmark, May 29 (UPI) -- Danish researchers said people who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen lowered their risk of melanoma.

Sigrun Alba Johannesdottir of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and colleagues conducted a case-control study from prescription-drug registries involving almost 2 million people living in northern Denmark, MedPage Today reported.

The researchers identified all residents who had at least a two-year prescription history from 1989 to 2008.

NSAID users were defined as residents who filled more than two prescriptions for NSAIDs or aspirin during the study period. Short-term NSAID use was defined as less than seven years, and long-term use as seven years or longer. Anyone who filled two or fewer prescriptions was identified as a non-user.

Cases of skin cancer were ascertained by data from the Danish national cancer registry the researchers identified 1,974 patients who developed squamous-cell skin cancer, 13,316 who developed basal-cell skin cancer and 3,242 who had a history of melanoma.

The study, published online ahead of the print issue of the journal Cancer, found the combination of high-intensity use over a long duration reduced melanoma risk by 46 percent, while high-intensity use for a long duration reduced squamous-cell skin cancer risk by 35 percent and basal-cell skin cancer risk by 17 percent.