Paracetamol Intake Found Beneficial Against Ovarian Cancer

A review of several studies on paracetamol and its intake by women showed that it may cut ovarian cancer in women with almost a third. The review was carried out on studies lasting since 1966 up to 2004 and was published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

The lead researcher Dr. Stefanos Bonovas and colleagues from the pharmacology department at University of Athens found 8 main studies reported on the paracetamol and ovarian cancer. In these studies, the intake of the painkiller was mentioned to be both "regular" and "irregular." Nevertheless, the most important study investigated and which provided main evidence for the Greek doctors was based on regular intake of painkillers - over 30 tablets in a month.

The conclusions were that women that take painkillers on a regular basis reduce their risk of getting ovarian cancer with 30%, while women that take paracetamol irregularly behave exactly like the ones that do not take painkillers at all.

Ovarian cancer is very spread among women, being the fourth most popular type of cancer in females. Because it often does not manifest any signs of installation in the body of a woman, ovarian cancer is mostly diagnosed after it has affected other parts of the body besides the ovaries.

The led researcher explained what the whole idea of the study was: "Our meta-analysis supports a protective association between paracetamol use and ovarian cancer, and provides evidence for a dose effect."

However, excessive paracetamol intake is not recommended by the medical team that did the research, as it may lead to other severe disease while women are trying to cure the ovarian cancer. Excessive and long term intake of painkillers can cause liver disorders and chronic renal failure.

"However, we believe that a randomized trial in women with a high risk of developing the disease might be appropriate. Further research is also needed into how this protective mechanism actually works," Dr. Bonovas stated.