Aspirin, ibuprofen and the troubled COX-2 inhibitor drugs may help prevent certain cancers by tamping down inflammation, researchers reported on Monday. Several studies presented to a meeting of cancer researchers show the pills can prevent not only colon cancer -- which had already been suggested -- but oral cancer in smokers as well. And combining the drugs with cholesterol-lowering medications called statins could reduce the risk of dangerous side-effects on the heart found in COX-2 inhibitors, researchers said. The COX-2 drugs were designed to be safer replacements for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. NSAIDS can cause often deadly gastrointestinal bleeding and are blamed for 16,000 deaths a year in the United States. But the COX-2 drugs were found to raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Two -- Pfizer Inc.'s Bextra and Merck & Co.'s Vioxx -- have been pulled from the market. --More 2326 Local Time 2026 GMT
