Aspirin Cancer Connection is Promising

A new study has found that taking low-dose aspirin could reduce risk of cancer. This study has been published within the Lancet. The research, published today, reviewed eight previous studies involving 25,500 subjects. There are still major spaces in this research. You shouldn't immediately start taking aspirin, however talk with your doctor. 

Aspirin may be able to cease cancer

British researchers were on a team that did the meta-study published. They found that 75 milligrams of aspirin taken regular for five years or more reduces the risk of dying from cancer. There was a 20 percent decrease in dying from lung and prostate cancer, a 54 percent decrease in gastrointestinal cancers and a 60 percent decrease in esophageal cancers. There were daily low-dose aspirin taken by individuals. Between 5 and 20 years was how long each did it. The research was not about cancer originally. It was about the effect that taking regular aspirin has on cardiovascular effect. 

Not recommending daily aspirin

Researchers don’t suggest that you take aspirin day-to-day even though there was lots of improvement on surviving cancers with it. ”Proof of principle” needs to be found with more studies. Also, the meta-study only had a few subjects in it. Thinning of blood, heartburn, loss of balance and ringing in the ears can all be caused by aspirin although it is considered relatively safe. "I surely think we wouldn't want to make any treatment decisions depending on this study," said Dr. Raymond DuBois, a provost of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. 

Issues with the aspirin-cancer research

The 2 studies that found the link between aspirin and improved cancer survival rates have both been conducted by the very same group of researchers in Britain. These 2 studies, however, still leave significant gaps. Only about 33 percent of the 25,500 subjects within the main meta-analysis were women. Additionally, data was absent on the effect of taking low-dose aspirin on less-common cancers, such as brain and stomach cancer. There is also an issue caused by the study at first being done to research the use of aspirin on the heart. The patients might be skewed a bit.

The use of aspirin on cancer may be something really exciting to begin working with. Unfortunately, it is not something that you should start trying as there is not nearly enough research in it to say it works or is safe.