Aspirin cuts skin cancer in women by up to 30 per cent, study finds Aspirin, the common headache cure, can cut skin cancer in women by up to 30 per cent. WOMEN who take aspirin could reduce their risk of one of Australia's deadliest cancers by up to 30 per cent, research has found. A 12-year study of nearly 60,000 women aged 50-79 found the longer a woman took the common painkiller, the lower her risk of melanoma. The findings suggest the anti-inflammatory effects of aspirin may help protect against the potentially deadly skin cancer, but experts warn existing sun safe practices including the use of sunscreen was the best way to prevent skin cancer. The researchers concluded that aspirin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, "may have a chemoprotective effect against the development of melanoma." On average, the reduction in risk for all postmenopausal women taking aspirin was 21 per cent, while women who had taken the drug for five years or more reduced their risk by 30 per cent. The researchers caution more evidence was required before aspirin was recommended as a drug for melanoma prevention. "Aspirin use is not recommended for cancer prevention in the general population," the study says. The combined cardiovascular benefits and potential anti-tumour effects of aspirin are intriguing in the context of preventive medicine, but they must be weighed against well known risks, such as gastrointestinal bleeding. Melanoma is the seventh most common cause of cancer death in Australia. In 2009, 11,545 cases were diagnosed, and in 2010, 1452 people died from melanoma. Aspirin has been associated with a lower risk of other cancers including colorectal, breast and gastric cancers. Cancer Council Australia chief executive Professor Ian Olver said the results of the study, published yesterday in the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, CANCER, could not be ignored. "Twenty per cent going up to 30 per cent for over five years is a very interesting result, particularly when you consider it along with other results in other tumour types such as colorectal cancer," Prof Olver said. But, he said more research was required before aspirin could be used as a preventive drug for melanoma. People shouldn't go taking aspirin without referring to their doctor because some people are prone to bleeding.