Daily aspirin reduces cancer risk and slows its spread, study confirms

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/10/daily-aspirin-cancer-risk-study


The findings support previous claims that aspirin protects against cancer, but the effect may not be as strong as thought. Photograph: Getty

Taking a low dose of aspirin every day may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the spread of the disease, according to a study that followed the health of more than 100,000 patients.

Research by a team at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta found the overall risk of dying from cancer was 16% lower among people who took a daily aspirin pill for up to 11 years, with deaths from gastrointestinal cancers, such as oesophageal, stomach and colorectal cancers, falling by around 40%. Deaths from other cancers fell by 12% on average.

The findings, based on 100,139 men and women with no prior history of cancer, support previous claims that aspirin can protect against some forms of the disease, but suggest the effect is not as strong as those earlier studies found.

In research published in March, Peter Rothwell at Oxford University reported that the risk of dying from cancer was around 37% lower for people who took aspirin for more than five years. Those who had a daily dose of the drug for three years reduced their risk of cancer by about a quarter, his study found.

[flamingdem]

1. I wonder just how low you can go

not talking limbo moves but wondering if a low dose would be preventative and also save one's stomach lining.

[SheilaT]

2. The original miracle drug.

I remember thinking about aspirin some years back, and realizing that it alone revolutionized health in ways we generally don't recognize.