Women who take aspirin daily may be reducing their risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to a recent study by scientists from the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Researchers found that daily aspirin use could reduce women's risk of ovarian cancer by 20 percent. HealthDay reported

"Our study suggests that aspirin regimens, proven to protect against heart attack, may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer as well," Britton Trabert of the National Cancer Institute's division of cancer epidemiology, said in a statement.

For the study, investigators analyzed data pooled from 12 large epidemiological studies involving nearly 8,000 women with ovarian cancer and close to 12,000 women who did not have the disease. They investigated whether women who used aspirin, non-aspirin NSAIDs, or acetaminophen have a lower risk of ovarian cancer. The studies were part of the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium.

They found that among the study participants18 percent used aspirin, 24 percent used non-aspirin NSAIDs, and 16 percent used acetaminophen.

Based on their findings, researchers determined that participants who reported daily aspirin use had a 20 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who used aspirin less than once per week.

For non-aspirin NSAIDs, which include a wide variety of drugs, scientists observed a 10 percent lower ovarian cancer risk among women who used NSAIDs at least once per week compared with those who used NSAIDs less frequently. However, researchers said this finding did not fall in a range that was significant statistically.

 In contrast to the findings for aspirin and NSAIDs, use of acetaminophen, which is not an anti-inflammatory agent, was not associated with reduced ovarian cancer risk.

HealthDay reported that the findings add to a growing list of cancers and other diseases aspirin might help protect against, the researchers said.

Despite showing an association between aspirin use and a lower risk of ovarian cancer, the study did not prove a cause-and-effect link.

"However intriguing our results are, they should not influence current clinical practice," Trabert said. "Additional studies are needed to explore the delicate balance of risk and benefit for this potential chemopreventive agent, as well as studies to identify [how] aspirin may reduce ovarian cancer risk."