A daily intake of aspirin was found to be beneficial in minimizing the risk of some types of cancer, as discovered by researchers at the Queen Mary University London (QMUL).
A 10-year use of aspirin could prevent or reduce the risk of bowel cancer deaths by 40 percent and cases by about 35 percent. The percentage of stomach and oesophageal cancers was also decreased by 30 percent and possible deaths by 35 to 50 percent.
“It has long been known that aspirin – one of the cheapest and most common drugs on the market – can protect against certain types of cancer. But until our study, where we analysed all the available evidence, it was unclear whether the pros of taking aspirin outweighed the cons,” QMUL professor Jack Cuzick said in a statement.
The person, however, needs to take 75 to 100 mg of aspirin for a minimum of five years and possibly 10 years starting at 50 to 65 years old, to maximize its benefits. This is because the researchers also found that taking the aspirin for three years showed no benefit at all, as well as rates of deaths from cancer were only cut after five years.
Now, there’s a downside to it. Long-term use of aspirin was also found to increase the risk of bleeding in the digestive tract, such as stomach bleeding.
For 60 year olds who took daily dose of aspirin for a decade, risk of bleeding in the digestive tract rises from 2.2 percent to 3.6 percent. Such effect may be life-threatening though in a very small rate, that is less than five percent of people.
For those below 70 years of age, rates of deadly or serious gastrointestinal bleeding were very low. A sharp increase was seen past that age.
Cuzick said the chances of bleeding rely on several known factors that people must be aware of prior to engaging in a daily intake of aspirin. He advised to consult with a medical professional before doing so.
The other side effect of aspirin intake is peptic ulcer, with increased risk seen at 30 to 60 percent.
"Whilst there are some serious side effects that can’t be ignored, taking aspirin daily looks to be the most important thing we can do to reduce cancer after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably be much easier to implement,” Cuzick also said.
The study concluded that further research work is still needed to identify who will be benefitted most by the aspirin use as well as who is at most risk for bleeding side effects.
The Annals of Oncology, a leading journal in cancer, published the study, Estimates of benefits and harms of prophylactic use of aspirin in the general population.
