Thursday, December 9, 2010

Research links aspirin and cancer survival - don't start pills yet

According to a new research published within the Lancet, low-dose aspirin might considerably reduce the risk of dying from cancer. Eight previous studies were reviewed for this research. All told, about 25,500 patients’ details was included. There are nevertheless major gaps in this research. You shouldn’t immediately begin taking aspirin, but talk with your doctor.

Chance of cancer death seems to be reduced with aspirin

British researchers were on a team that did the meta-study published. They found that 75 milligrams of aspirin taken daily for five years or more reduces the chance of dying from cancer. There was a 20 percent decrease in death from lung and prostate cancer, a 54 percent decrease in gastrointestinal cancers and a 60 percent decrease in esophageal cancers. These benefits appeared after regular low-dose aspirin had been taken for between five and 20 years. The cardiovascular effects while taking day-to-day aspirin was the original purpose of the research.

Aspirin day-to-day is not the recommendation

Researchers don't suggest that you take aspirin regular even though there was lots of improvement on surviving cancers with it. This meta-study considered a relatively low number of subjects, and more study needs to be conducted as “proof of principle.”. It would be relatively safe to take aspirin regular. Of course, ringing within the ears, loss of balance, heartburn and thinning of blood can take place with it too. “I definitely think we wouldn’t want for making any treatment decisions based on this study,” said Dr. Raymond DuBois, a provost of the University of TX M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Problems with the aspirin-cancer study

There were 2 studies done that showed an improved cancer success rate with aspirin. Or course, the very same group of researchers in Britain did both of the studies. There are many gaps that have to be looked at in the studies. Only about 33 percent of the 25,500 subjects in the main meta-analysis were women. There was no data on less common cancers like brain and stomach. The low-dose aspirin might not work on them. The group of patients might be statistically skewed since the benefit of aspirin on the heart was what the studies were at first working on.

It isn't smart to start taking aspirin as there is not enough research on the subject yet although it may be really exciting to start exploring the use of aspirin on cancer.

Details from

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/07/AR2010120701602.html

Business Week

businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/647054.html



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