Researchers at the University of Oxford, led by Peter Rothwell, have shown that taking a daily dose of 75 milligrams of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) reduces death rates from cancer of the esophagus, lung, stomach, pancreas, and possibly brain, in almost a third . The benefit is independent of the patient's gender and whether or not they smoke. But it is necessary that the use of the drug continues for at least five consecutive years , according to the British medical journal The Lancet published today.
Analyzing 25,570 patients over twenty years, Rothwell and his colleagues have concluded that aspirin reduces the risk of death from cancer by approximately 10% for prostate cancer, 30% for lung cancer, 40% for colorectal cancer and 60% for esophageal cancer. For the latter, as well as for lung cancer, the benefit is limited to one category of tumors, the so-called adenocarcinomas.
These results do not mean that all adults should immediately start taking aspirin, but they demonstrate the significant benefits of low-dose drug in terms of reducing mortality due to several common cancers, which is very novel, according to the study authors.
