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Taking aspirin daily can significantly reduce the risk of developing major cancers of the digestive tract, ie bowel, stomach and oesophagus, besides heart attacks and strokes it is known to prevent.
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) reviewed all the available evidence from many studies and clinical trials assessing both the benefits and harms of preventive use of aspirin.
The researchers, led by Professor Jack Cuzick, Head of QMUL’s Centre for Cancer Prevention, found taking aspirin for 10 years could cut bowel cancer cases by around 35 per cent and deaths by 40 per cent.
Rates of oesophageal and stomach cancers were cut by 30 per cent and deaths from these cancers by 35-50 per cent.
To reap the benefits of aspirin, people need to start taking a daily dose of 75-100 mg for at least five years and probably 10 years between the ages of 50 and 65.
No benefit was seen whilst taking aspirin for the first three years, and death rates were only reduced after five years.
However, the research also warns taking aspirin long-term increases the risk of bleeding from the digestive tract, eg stomach bleeding.
Amongst 60-year-old individuals who take daily aspirin for 10 years, the risk of digestive tract bleeds increases from 2.2 per cent to 3.6 per cent, and this could be life-threatening in a very small proportion (less than 5 per cent) of people.
It is also not clear whether taking aspirin for longer than 10 years will result in greater benefits, researchers said.
“It has long been known that aspirin – one of the cheapest and most common drugs on the market – can protect against certain types of cancer,” said Cuzick.
“But until our study, where we analysed all the available evidence, it was unclear whether the pros of taking aspirin outweighed the cons.
“Whilst there are some serious side effects that can’t be ignored, taking aspirin daily looks to be the most important thing we can do to reduce cancer after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably be much easier to implement.
“Our study shows that if everyone aged between 50-65 started taking aspirin daily for at least 10 years, there would be a 9 per cent reduction in the number of cancers, strokes and heart attacks overall in men and around 7 per cent in women.
“The total number of deaths from any cause would also be lower, by about 4 per cent over a 20-year period. The benefits of aspirin use would be most visible in the reduction in deaths due to cancer,” he said.
Agencies/Canadajournal
