Small daily aspirin dose 'cuts cancer
risk'
By Fergus Walsh
Medical correspondent, BBC News
Prof Peter Rothwell explains why taking aspirin reduces the risk
of dying from cancer
A small daily dose of aspirin - 75mg - substantially reduces death
rates from a range of common cancers, a study suggests.
Research at Oxford University and other centres
found that it cut overall cancer deaths by at least a fifth.
The study, published in the Lancet, covered some
25,000 patients, mostly from the UK.
Experts say the findings show aspirin's benefits
often outweighed its associated risk of causing bleeding.
Aspirin is already known to cut the risk of heart
attack and stroke among those at increased risk. But the protective
effects against cardiovascular disease are thought to be small
for healthy adults, and aspirin increases the risks of stomach
and gut bleeds.
However, this latest research shows that when
weighing up the risks and benefits of taking aspirin, experts
should also consider its protective effect against cancer.
Those patients who were given aspirin had a 25%
lower risk of death from cancer during the trial period and a
10% reduction in death from any cause compared to patients who
were not given the drug.
Lasting protection
The treatment with aspirin lasted for between four and eight years,
but long term-follow-up of around 12,500 patients showed the protective
effect continued for 20 years in both men and women.
"We encourage anyone interested in taking aspirin on a regular
basis to talk to their GP first”
Ed Young
Cancer Research UK
Lead researcher Professor Peter Rothwell said the findings might
well underestimate the reduction in deaths that would result from
longer-term treatment with aspirin.
The risk of cancer death was reduced by 20% over
20 years. For individual cancers the reduction was about 40% for
bowel cancer, 30% for lung cancer, 10% for prostate cancer and
60% for oesophageal cancer.
The reductions in pancreas, stomach and brain
cancers were difficult to quantify because of smaller numbers
of deaths.
There was also not enough data to show an effect
on breast or ovarian cancer and the authors suggest this is because
there were not enough women in the trials. Large-scale studies
investigating the effects on these cancers are under way.
Professor Rothwell said he was not urging healthy
middle-aged adults to immediately start taking aspirin, but said
the evidence on cancer "tips things towards it being well
worth it". The benefit in cancer reduction were found from
a low daily dose of 75mg.
Professor Rothwell said the annual risk of major
internal bleeding was about 1 in 1,000 and aspirin roughly doubled
that risk. But he said the danger of major bleeding was "very
low" in middle age but increased dramatically after 75.
"Aspirin should be thought of in the same
context as lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise which can
help to preserve health”
Professor Peter Elwood
Cardiff University
Aspirin: a personal choice for all
A sensible time to consider starting daily aspirin use would be
between 45-50, continuing for around 25 years, he said.
Cancer Research UK described the results as "promising".
But Ed Yong, head of health information and evidence, said: "We
encourage anyone interested in taking aspirin on a regular basis
to talk to their GP first."
Professor Peter Elwood, an epidemiologist from
Cardiff University, who carried out some of the first studies
into the effects of aspirin on health, said individuals should
make up their own minds:
"Aspirin should be thought of in the same
context as lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise which can
help to preserve health."
Professor Elwood said taking aspirin at night
and with calcium seemed to enhance its effects. He suggested taking
it with a glass of milk as this could also reduce stomach irritation.