New research published in the online version of the journal cancer finds that common painkillers, such as aspirin, may help prevent some forms of skin cancer.
It has been shown in previous studies that taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which include aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen,can decrease your likelihood of developing some types of cancer.
But now doctors out of Denmark have found these medications might decrease the risk of developing the three major types of skin cancer, including the most serious, malignant melanoma.
Researchers looked at records of nearly 200,000 people from northern Denmark, over a 10 year period, noting the types of drugs they took. They found people who took more than two different kinds of painkillers had a 13 percent decreased risk for developing melanoma than those who filled two or less prescriptions for these medications.
The odds were even better if the drugs were taken frequently for seven or more years. Study authors say more research is needed to better understand why these painkillers prevent some skin cancers.