The following is an archived video story. The text content of that video story is available below for reference. The original video has been deleted and is no longer available.

New Study Shows Aspirin Lowering the Risk of Skin Cancer in Women

We've all heard of aspirin helping with a headache, but a study published today says it may also help lower the risk of skin cancer in women.

Researchers at Stanford University looked at nearly 60,000 post-menopausal, Caucasian women for 12 years. They found the women who took regular doses of aspirin lowered their risk of getting melanoma by at least 20% - and, the longer they took the aspirin, the more they reduced their risk.

This is not proof that aspirin is directly responsible for lowering the risk, but researchers believe inflammation plays a big role in cancer development and aspirin is an anti-inflammatory drug.

Researchers did not find the same link when they looked at other pain medications like acetaminophen. However, doctors say there are downsides to aspirin use: stomach complaints, ulcers and bleeding are all potential side effects.

In the study, 75% of the women were taking regular or extra-strength aspirin, not baby aspirin. The study was published online in the journal cancer.

By: Deeda Payton