The association between mammographic density measures and aspirin or other NSAID use

Jennifer Stone; Stone J; Willenberg L; Lisa Willenberg; Apicella C; Carmel Apicella; Susan Treloar; Treloar S; John Hopper; Hopper J

doi:10.1007/s10549-011-1834-2

The association between mammographic density measures and aspirin or other NSAID use

Jennifer Stone, Stone J, Willenberg L, Lisa Willenberg, Apicella C, Carmel Apicella, Susan Treloar, Treloar S, John Hopper, Hopper J

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment · 2012 · doi:10.1007/s10549-011-1834-2 · PMID:22037829

other OA: closed public-domain-us

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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-08-03 ⓘ

This study found no association between mammographic density measures and aspirin or other NSAID use in 3286 women, suggesting aspirin's breast cancer risk reduction may occur via a pathway other than mammographic density.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by gpt-5.6-luna, 2026-08-11 · read from full text ⓘ

This study examined whether aspirin and other NSAID use was associated with mammographic density, a breast cancer risk marker, among 3,286 women enrolled in the Australian Mammographic Density Twins and Sisters Study and the Genes Behind Endometriosis Study. Using multiple linear regression, the authors assessed associations of medication use, frequency, and duration with dense area and percent dense area, finding no significant association for aspirin, paracetamol, arthritis medications, or other over-the-counter or prescribed pain relievers. The findings indicate that any breast cancer risk reduction associated with aspirin is unlikely to operate through mammographic density measures; the abstract does not report a specific methodological limitation. Relevance to endometriosis: participants included women from the Genes Behind Endometriosis Study, though the paper's main focus is the relationship between NSAID use and mammographic density.

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Abstract

There is evidence that aspirin use reduces the risk of breast cancer. Increased mammographic density is known to be associated with increased breast cancer risk. Little is known about the association between mammographic density and aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, but it is possible that the association between aspirin use and breast cancer risk might be due to the effect of aspirin on mammographic density. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the association between measures of mammographic density and the use, frequency, and duration of aspirin and other NSAIDs such as paracetamol (acetaminophen), arthritis medication, and other over-the-counter or doctor-prescribed pain medications in 3286 women from the Australian Mammographic Density Twins and Sisters Study and the Genes Behind Endometriosis Study. We found no association between either dense area or percent dense area with any of the NSAIDs examined (all P > 0.06). If aspirin is reducing the breast cancer risk in women, it is likely doing so via a different pathway other than mammographic density measures that predict breast cancer risk.

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Abstract

References

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal Aspirin Breast Neoplasms Mammary Glands, Human Adult Aged Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal Aspirin Breast Neoplasms Cross-Sectional Studies Female Humans Linear Models Mammary Glands, Human Mammary Glands, Human Mammography Middle Aged Risk Factors

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