Aspirin 'guards against cancer'

Published on Thursday 21 October 2010 18:19

A LOW dose of aspirin every day can significantly reduce the risk of suffering or dying from bowel cancer.

Scientists who analysed data on more than 14,000 patients found that taking the painkiller over several years reduced the chances of developing Britain's third most common cancer by a quarter. It also cut the number of deaths from the disease by more than a third.

Professor Peter Rothwell, of Oxford University, said he suspected the drug could also reduce the risk of other cancers and people might want to consider taking a low dose to protect themselves.

He said a dose of 75g would be required - about a quarter of the average tablet bought in pharmacies. "Anyone who has a family history of colon cancer should think about taking low-dose aspirin.

"Even in the healthy general population, people in their 50s, 60s and 70s and thinking about taking aspirin for the prevention of vascular events, this really tips the benefit much more in favour of taking aspirin."

Last month research in Edinburgh also suggested low doses of aspirin could be enough to provide a protective effect.

The latest research, published in the Lancet, gathered data from four randomised aspirin trials conducted to investigate the prevention of artery disease.

On average, patients were men and women in their sixties who took the pill for six years. Over a period of about 20 years, 2.8 per cent developed bowel cancer.

Aspirin was shown to reduce the risk by 24 per cent and cut death rates by 35 per cent.