News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Can Aspirin Help to Prevent Cancer?
Recent research provides the first evidence that aspirin might help to prevent cancer in people with average risk, the American Cancer Society says. The society issued its statement based on an analysis by society scientists. They took a close look at recent studies related to cancer rates among people in research whose main focus was heart disease. People in these earlier studies were randomly assigned to take aspirin or a placebo (fake pill). Recent analyses have combined the numbers from studies of this type. They found that that people who took aspirin had reduced cancer rates. The average reduction was 20% in the 3 to 5 years after they started taking aspirin. Most people took an aspirin daily or every other day. The doses varied. But cancer rates did not fall further for larger doses. Cancer society scientists said even a 10% reduction in cancer rates for a 10-year period might make aspir in worth taking for people who have an average cancer risk. Risks of daily aspirin include bleeding. Stomach bleeds can require a hospital stay. The journal Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology published the study. MedPage Today and CNN.com wrote about it April 10.
