The regular use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) can reduce a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer by 30%, according to researchers from Athens University, Greece, who looked at eight studies covering more than three-quarters of a million women.
However, long-term use of paracetamol also raises the risk of kidney and liver failure. The researchers said more long term studies are needed to look into the effects. They also said that women should not start taking paracetamol because of the findings of this study.
About 1 in every 60 women develops ovarian cancer. For those that do develop it, survival rates are low. Under one third of ovarian cancer patients live longer than five years after diagnosis. The main reason for its high death rate is that diagnosis usually happens when the cancer is well advanced.
You can read about this study in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
The researchers looked at data from the UK, USA and Denmark, dating from 1996 to 2004. Of the 746,000 women, 4,405 had ovarian cancer. They found a significant link between ovarian cancer protection and ?regular’ use of paracetamol. ?Regular’, in this study, meant 30 tablets per month or more.
The researchers stressed that they do not know whether the cancer-protecting benefits outweigh the increased risk of liver and kidney failure. As a cancer-protective link has been identified, they said, further research should be carried out.
?Paracetamol use and risk of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis?
Authors: Stefanos Bonovas, Kalitsa Filioussi & Nikolaos M. Sitaras
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Volume 62 Page 113 – July 2006
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2005.02526.x
Volume 62 Issue 1
Link to Abstract
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today