Aspirin: good for women?

Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) and other Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs) are increasingly being prescribed to protect against a host of illnesses from colon cancer to heart disease. But a new prospective study on NSAIDs may have women wondering if it's still a good idea for them. Harvard University researcher Eva Schernhammer found that long-term use of Aspirin actually increased the risk of pancreatic cancer in women by 11 to 86 per cent, depending on the number of tablets taken, from as few as three to more than 14 pills per week, respectively. Dr. Schernhammer's findings were culled from the Nurses' Health Study, which has been following more than 88,000 nurses for 18 years. Before you consider taking Aspirin to prevent disease, or if you're already on a regimen, you may want to talk to your health-care professional about these new findings. Daily doses of NSAIDs can also cause serious internal bleeding. (Research presented at the October 2003 American Association of Cancer Research conference www.aacr.org/1132an.asp).