Painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help to protect against skin cancer, a Danish study has found.

The study, which used Danish medical records and looked at about 200,000 patients, found that people with more than two prescriptions for NSAIDs had a 13 per cent lower risk of developing malignant melanoma than those with no prescriptions for the drugs.

The risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, another form of skin cancer, also dropped 15 per cent in those with three or more prescriptions for the drugs.

The authors of the study suggested their findings should be used when discussing the benefits and harms of NSAID use

MHRA: NSAID use should be as short as possible NSAID use cuts colorectal cancer mortality in older       women Painkiller sales soar

The study, published in CANCER – a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society – found that the reduction in the risk of skin cancer was especially clear in people who had been taking NSAIDs for seven or more years, or who had a "high intensity" of use. NSAIDs did not reduce the risk of another type of skin cancer – basal cell carcinoma – although the drugs reduced the risk of developing this type of cancer in less exposed areas – a drop of 15 per cent if they took them long-term and 21 per cent if they had NSAIDs at "high intensity".

The researchers noted previous studies that had suggested taking NSAIDs could reduce an individual's risk of some types of cancer.

"This potential cancer-protective effect should be taken into account when discussing benefits and harms of NSAID use," said Sigrún Alba Jóhannesdóttir, one of the study's authors.