British Study Links Aspiriin to Lower Rates of Cancer Deaths

By now, practically everyone knows that a single aspirin tablet taken daily reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Now, according to a study published in the Early Release Edition of the respected British medical journal The Lancet, it appears that daily aspirin can also reduce your risk of dying from cancer.

The study, authored by Peter Rothwell, MD, of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England, and colleagues, examined the data obtained in the long-term evaluation of some 25,570 patients that had been on a once-daily 75-300 mg. dose of aspirin to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. At the completion of their study, the researchers noted:

* 21% fewer deaths from all types of cancer in those that were taking daily aspirin;

* those that had been on aspirin for more than 5 years demonstrated an astounding decrease of 34% in deaths from all cancers and a 54% lower death rate from cancers arising from the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, intestines, and colon) and

* that the decreased rates of cancer deaths observed at 5 years were preserved in those patients that were followed for as long as 20 years.

Although the authors of the Lancet study were emphatic in stating that it remains unclear precisely why and how a daily dose of aspirin reduces cancer mortality, clinicians on both sides of the Atlantic were quick to praise the Lancet study as groundbreaking.

Writing in an interview published on Web MD's Medscape Today, and concurrent with the Lancet report, Dr. Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, stated:

"These promising results build on a large body of evidence suggesting that aspirin could reduce the risk of developing or dying from many different types of cancer. While earlier studies suggested that you only get benefits from taking high doses of aspirin, this new study tells us that even small doses reduce the risk of dying from cancer provided it is taken for at least 5 years."

Follow-up studies, which may lead to recommendations that aspirin be assigned a preventive role in cancers occurring during and after middle age, are expected to be released in the coming year.

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As always, this article is presented for its newsworthiness and is for informational purposes only. Any changes in medical therapy for any diagnosed or potential condition must be undertaken only after consultation with a qualified health care practitioner.

Adapted from: Peter M. Rothwell, et al. "Effect of Daily Aspirin on Long-term Risk of Death Due to Cancer: Analysis of Individual Patient Data from Randomised Trials." TheLancet, Early Online Publication: December 7, 2010. (Abstract)