Aspirin 'prevents, and possibly treats cancer'

Dr KIZITO LUBANO explores Kenya's next course of action following discoveries of ways to combat a major killer

Taking a low dose of aspirin daily can prevent and possibly treat cancer, new evidence suggests.

There is mounting evidence of the drug’s anti-cancer effects, according to three latest studies.

New research indicates that taking aspirin for a long time can substantially cut the risk of dying from a variety of cancers.

It further shows that the benefit is independent of dose, gender or smoking. In addition, protection increases with age.

Prof Peter Rothwell of Oxford University and colleagues had previously linked aspirin with a lower risk of certain cancers, particularly the bowel type.

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Their previous work had also suggested that people needed to take aspirin for at least ten years to get some protection.

But now, the same experts believe that the protective effect occurs much sooner — within three to five years — based on an analysis of data from 51 trials involving more than 77,000 patients.

The analysis shows that aspirin not only reduces the risk of developing different cancers, but may also stop cancers from spreading in the body.

A previous study by the same authors showed that low doses of aspirin (75-300 milligrammes) reduced the number of cases of colorectal cancer by a quarter and deaths from the disease by more than a third.

The latest study confirms the earlier results and concludes that similar effects can be shown for other types of cancers.

New findings

In the latest study, the investigators analysed eight trials, looking at the effects of a daily dose of aspirin on preventing heart attacks.

It involved 25,570 patients, 674 of whom died from cancer. The results showed a 21 per cent reduction in the number of deaths caused by cancer among those who had taken aspirin, compared to people who had not.

Further, it showed that the benefits of taking aspirin increases over time. After five years, death rates form all cancers dropped by 34 per cent and by 54 per cent for gastrointestinal cancers.

Participants were also followed up after 20 years, with 1,634 of the original participants having died as a direct result of cancer. This follow-up found out that the risk of cancer death remained 20 per cent lower among those who had been taking aspirin than those in the control group for all solid cancers, including lung, prostate, brain, bladder, pancreatic and kidney cancers, and by 35 per cent for gastrointestinal cancers.

Protection

The protective effect of taking low doses of aspirin varied according to the type of cancer and how long the drug had been taken.

For instance, it became apparent after about five years for esophageal, pancreatic, brain and lung cancer, about ten years for stomach and colorectal cancer and about 15 years for prostate cancer.

Should middle-aged people take aspirin?

Previous research linked aspirin with reductions in heart attacks and strokes, but doctors have been wary when recommending whether people should take daily doses of aspirin because of the risk of gastric bleeding.

Rothwell says: "The size of the effect on cancer, I think, is such that it does more or less drown out those sorts of risks."

However, anyone interested in taking aspirin on a regular basis should consult a doctor.

Way forward

Following the new findings, the Kenya Medical Research Institute and other research for health organisations are exploring the findings in their own contexts.

The Health ministries may start considering on how best to advise the public about the benefits and risks of aspirin.

The writer is the head of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at Kenya Medical Research Institute