Sliver of aspirin a day can cut bowel cancer risk by f if th
Study shows remarkable effects of cheap pill
TAKING just a quarter of an aspirin tablet a day could slash the risk of bowel cancer by a fifth, a major study has found.
Harvard scientists found that those in middle age who regularly took the over-thecounter painkillers were less likely to be diagnosed with cancer of any kind.
The researchers found that the cheap pills are particularly effective at warding off cancers of the digestive system.
The most dramatic impact was seen for bowel cancer, with people who took aspirin every day for six years seeing their risk drop by 19%.
The experts, who tracked 136,000 people for 32 years, predicted that regular aspirin use in the US could prevent 30,000 there tumours a year.
If the findings are applied to Ireland, a large proportion of bowel, stomach, pancreatic, intestinal and oesophageal cancer cases could be prevented each year, it is believed.
According to the Irish Cancer Society, there are almost 2,300 bowel cancer diagnoses made each year.
Bowel cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease. It killed around 215,000 in Europe in 2012. Experts last night said people with a family history of bowel, stomach, pancreatic, intestinal and oesophageal cancers should consider regularly taking a low dose of aspirin.
The study’s author, Professor Andrew Chan, a cancer expert at Massachusetts General Hospital, said: ‘It would be very reasonable for individuals to discuss with their physicians the advisability of taking aspirin to prevent gastrointestinal cancer, particularly if they have risk factors such as a family history.’
People at increased risk of bowel cancer include those with a family history of the disease, the elderly, and those who are overweight, smoke and eat lots of red meat. But Professor Chan stopped short of advising that everyone start taking the pills, because for some people they can cause side-effects including internal bleeding.
His team collected data from study participants every two years over three decades, as well as collecting information about their diet, health and lifestyle.
Those taking the painkillers did so because of headaches, arthritis or muscle problems, or because their doctor had prescribed the drugs to ward off the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The scientists, whose work was published in the JAMA Oncology journal, found that taking 81mg of aspirin a day – roughly a quarter of a tablet – for at least six years saw the risk of cancer of any kind drop by 3%.
Those who took the pills also saw a 15% drop in risk of gastrointestinal cancers, which include tumours of the gullet, stomach, intestine and pancreas. And for bowel cancer, the risk of diagnosis was reduced by 19%.
The study authors do not know exactly how aspirin appears to prevent cancer developing, but they suspect it may be because it reduces levels of an enzyme called cyclo-oxygenase – which promotes tumour formation.
Mark Flannagan, from Beating Bowel Cancer, said: ‘This and previous research has suggested that taking aspirin might reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer. However, we recommend that you consult your GP before undertaking any course of treatment due to the possible sideeffects.’ Cancer research campaigner Nicola Smith said: ‘This study adds to what we know about the potential for long-term aspirin use to reduce the risk of cancer, particularly bowel cancer, though it didn’t consider the risk of side-effects such as internal bleeding. We need to understand more about who would get the best balance of benefits and risks of side-effect, how much aspirin they should take, and for how long.’
As well as cancer prevention, scientists have for some time been exploring whether aspirin may also slow the progress of the disease once it takes hold.
‘Consult your GP before taking’