2026-01-23 15:17:26
Ibuprofen could reduce an individual’s risk of caner.
The cheap and widely available painkiller is used reglarly by one in ten people in the UK use the drug regularly, according to a 2023 study of more than 200,000 adults.
Ibuprofen belongs to a group of medicines known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.
Scientists have been studying the link between NSAIDs and cancer for decades, dating back to the early 1980s when a related drug was linked to a reduced risk of bowel cancer.
Writing in The Conversation, experts from Kingston University explained that NSAIDs work by blocking enzymes called COX-1 and COX-2.
This reduces the production of prostaglandins – chemicals that cause pain and inflammation, but also play a role in cancer growth.
A 2025 study published in the European Medical Journal suggests ibuprofen could cut the risk of endometrial cancer, the most common form of womb cancer.
In the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) study, which followed more than 42,000 women aged 55 to 74 for 12 years, those taking 30 or more ibuprofen tablets a month had a 25 per cent lower risk of the disease than those who rarely used it.
The effect was strongest in women with heart disease.
The researchers said: “Ibuprofen’s possible cancer-protective effects extend beyond endometrial cancer. Studies suggest it may also reduce risk of bowel, breast, lung, and prostate cancers.”
By blocking COX-2, ibuprofen appears to dampen inflammation and interfere with genes that help tumours grow, survive and resist treatment. Some evidence also suggests it may make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.
But experts urge caution as not all studies agree, and long-term NSAID use is linked to side effects including stomach ulcers, internal bleeding, kidney damage and heart problems.
One study even found worse outcomes for some cancer patients taking aspirin.
For now, researchers stress that ibuprofen is not a do-it-yourself cancer prevention tool.
Instead, they advise focusing on proven strategies such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating anti-inflammatory foods and staying active.
The experts concluded: “Everyday medicines may yet hold surprising promise, but until the science is settled, the safest prescription for cancer prevention remains the oldest one: eat well, move often, and listen to your doctor before reaching for the pill bottle.”
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