New research adds to the growing evidence that daily aspirin may help prevent certain cancers from occurring. On top of that, daily aspirin may also be an effective treatment for people who already have cancer. In a series of studies published in The Lancet, researchers expanded on previous research linking daily low-dose or full-strength aspirin use to a reduced risk of death from cancer over a decade of follow-up.
In their latest work, the researchers examined the short-term impact of aspirin therapy on cancer, finding a reduction in cancers after about three years of daily aspirin use. People taking aspirin for as few as five years had a lower risk of dying from cancer and of having their disease spread once it had been diagnosed. According to the analysis, taking a low-dose aspirin every day reduced the risk of death from cancer by 37% after at least five years of use. Taking a daily aspirin for at least three years reduced cancer incidence by close to 25% in both men and women.
In a second study, the researchers examined the impact of daily aspirin therapy on cancer metastasis by analyzing newly published data from five other large trials. Among the findings:
- Over an average follow-up of six-and-a-half years, daily aspirin use was associated with a 36% reduced risk of cancer with distant spread.
- Colorectal cancer patients with localized disease had a 74% reduced risk for having their disease spread when they took a daily aspirin.
- Daily aspirin use was associated with a 35% reduction in cancer deaths among patients with solid tumors, but not blood cancers such as leukemia.
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Interesting day but good! S