While aspirin has long been used in treatment of cardiovascular disease, could lower the risk of cancers affecting the digestive tract, it has been found.
The use of aspirin either on a daily or long-term basis could reduce the development of stomach, bowel and esophageal cancers according to a study published in the journal Annals of Oncology, led by Professor Jack Cuzick at the Centre for Cancer Prevention, Queen Mary University of London.
Results of the research found that taking aspirin for 10 years could cut cases of bowel cancer by 35 percent and deaths from bowel cancer by 40 percent.For the other digestive tract cancers, the cases of both esophageal cancer and stomach cancer were cut by 30 percent and deaths were cut by 35 to 50 percent.
The researchers took into account more than 200 clinical trials and studies looking into anti-cancer effects of aspirin. Participants had to take a daily dose of 75-100 mg of aspirin for five to 10 years between the ages of 50 and 65 with death rates only reduced after five years.
More work is still to be conducted to determine the right dosage and who would benefit most from taking aspirin as well as looking further into potential side effects of taking aspirin such as peptic ulcers and digestive tract bleeding.
