Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer risk, says biggest study yet
An aspirin a day could dramatically cut people’s chances of getting and dying from common
cancers, according to the most detailed review yet of the cheap drug’s ability to stem disease.
More than 130,000 deaths would be avoided over a 20-year period if Britain’s 50- to 65-year-olds
took a daily aspirin for ten years, because the beneficial effects continue even when the aspirin is
[5] stopped, the authors say.
A research team led by Professor Jack Cuzick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen
Mary University of London, concluded that people between 50 and 65 should consider regularly
taking the 75 mg low-dosage tablets. Cuzick said that taking aspirin “looks to be the most important
thing we can do to reduce cancer, after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably
[10] be much easier to implement”.
In a briefing to journalists, the scientist added that he had been dosing himself for the last four
years, keeping the tablets beside his bed. “I take aspirin as part of a bedtime ritual every day”, he
said. However, to obtain the newfound benefits of the drug, people would have to take aspirin for
at least five years and probably ten, the review said.
[15] Aspirin was originally developed as a painkiller and treatment for fever and inflammation, but more
than a century after it was first synthesised from willow bark, researchers have found more medical
uses for it. It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the
chances of some cancers. But the big question has been whether the benefits outweigh the harms,
because aspirin can cause stomach bleeds, which could be potentially fatal ∈ some people.
[20] “Aspirin is showing promise ∈ preventing certain types of cancer, but it’s vital that we balance this
with the complications it can cause – such as bleeding, stomach ulcers, or even strokes ∈ some
people”, said Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. “Before aspirin can
be recommended for cancer prevention; some important questions need to be answered, including
what is the best dose and how long people should take it for. And tests need to be developed to
[25] predict who is likely to have side-effects”, she said.
As a generic drug – Bayer’s patent ran out ∈ the 1930s – there are no profits to be made by
big pharmaceutical companies from the estimated 100 billion tablets taken around the world
every year.
theguardian.com
It has been demonstrated to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes as well as the chances of some cancers. (l. 17-18)
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