(Daily Mail) -- Women with breast cancer who take aspirin at least twice a week can more than double their chance of surviving, researchers say.

The greatest protection comes from taking the drug on two to five days, a study has found.

That cut the risk of dying by 71 per cent and the risk of the cancer spreading by 60 per cent. Taking aspirin on six or seven days cut the death risk by 64 per cent, but the risk of spreading fell only 43 per cent.

The findings of the U.S. study provide the most compelling evidence yet of the power of the cheap painkiller.

Previous research has suggested that aspirin can protect against bowel cancer, although results for other cancers, such as breast and prostate, were less clear-cut.

The latest dramatic results came from a 30-year project tracking the health of 238,000 nurses.

Lead researcher Dr Michelle Holmes, of Harvard Medical School, said: 'This is the first study to find that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer.

'If these findings are confirmed in other clinical trials, taking aspirin may become another simple, low-cost and relatively safe tool to help women with breast cancer live longer, healthier lives.'

Drugs in the same class as aspirin, including ibuprofen and naproxen, also

lowered the risks, but paracetamol did not. Experts warned, however, that aspirin can have serious side effects, including stomach irritation that can lead to ulcers and even fatal bleeding. For some people the risk of harm is greater than potential benefits.

Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are advised not to take aspirin for the first 12 months as it can cause side effects while they undergo chemotherapy or radiation.

Researchers are uncertain exactly how aspirin affects tumours but it could be by lowering inflammation. The study found that there were no beneficial effects for people who took aspirin only once a week .

Dr Holmes said: 'Aspirin cannot be considered a substitute for conventional cancer treatments, and taking aspirin does have negative effects in some.

'More study is definitely needed to establish the cause and effect of aspirin on breast cancer. But for now, if a woman has breast cancer and is taking aspirin, she may take some comfort in knowing she might be doing something to help prevent her breast cancer from recurring.'

Millions of people in the UK already take low-dose aspirin every day on doctor's advice to reduce the chance of a repeat heart attack or stroke. Others take it of their own accord for 'health insurance'.

Most of the women in the new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, were taking aspirin to prevent heart disease.

The Harvard team identified 4,000 breast cancer patients between 1976 and 2002 and followed them until their deaths or the end of the study in June 2006. Altogether 341 women died from the cancer.

The Harvard study falls short of the research 'gold standard', however, because the women reported their aspirin use in questionnaires, rather than going through a controlled clinical trial.

The next stage of drug development would normally be a large randomised study, but this may never happen.

Not only is aspirin so cheap it will not make any money for drug firms, it could be hard to find a group of women with breast cancer who were prepared never to take aspirin during a trial.

Nick Henderson of the European Aspirin Foundation, which represents the industry, said: 'The best evidence for aspirin in protecting against cancer has been from studies on bowel cancer.

'But this latest report adds to growing evidence that aspirin appears to have special effects in reducing cancer risk through a mechanism which has yet to be scientifically explained. However, I doubt it will be possible to carry out a proper clinical trial because everyone has heard aspirin may be useful. We're going to hold a conference to plan the way forward.'

Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: 'Several studies have found that taking aspirin and related drugs is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, and this new study suggests that they might also help to stop cancer from spreading and improve a woman's chances of survival .

'But aspirin has risks as well as benefits, so we need large clinical trials to see if it can really save lives from breast cancer, and, if so, to work out what doses to use and how long to use the drugs for.'

IBUPROFEN CUTS PARKINSON'S RISK

IBUPROFEN can cut your risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a study has indicated.

It found regular users of the painkiller, also sold as Nurofen, were 40 per cent less at risk of developing the disease. Those taking higher amounts of the drug ran a lower risk than those taking lower levels.

About 125,000 Britons have Parkinson's, with 10,000 new sufferers diagnosed each year. It is a progressive neurological condition which destroys brain cells that control movement, including walking, talking and writing.

It has been suggested that brain inflammation plays a role in triggering the disease, and ibuprofen's antiinflammatory activity may counter this.

The U.S. research, by the Harvard School of Public Health, was presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Canada.

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