Aspirin and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Can Prevent Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have received increasing attention as potential chemopreventive agents of skin cancer but evidence is inconsistent. To investigate whether use of aspirin and other NSAIDS reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), we conducted a systematic review based on published epidemiologic studies, and calculated summary estimates for aspirin, non-aspirin NSAIDS and any NSAIDS use. Summary estimates from 9 studies (5 case-control, 3 cohort, and 1 intervention) indicated significantly reduced risks of SCC among users of non-aspirin NSAIDS (Odds ratio (OR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.94) and among users of any NSAIDS (OR 0.82, 95%CI 0.71-0.94) compared with non-users with the effect seen particularly in those with previous actinic skin tumours. A reduced risk was also observed among aspirin users though with borderline statistical significance (OR 0.88 95%CI 0.75-1.03). There was significant heterogeneity between studies regarding SCC risk estimates for aspirin use and any NSAIDS use. These findings suggest that NSAIDS collectively have the potential to prevent the development of cutaneous SCC.Journal of Investigative Dermatology accepted article preview online, 18 December 2014. doi:10.1038/jid.2014.531.