Aspirin can cut risk of death in cancer patients by 20%: Study

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Patients with a wide range of cancers, taking aspirin as part of their treatment, could help to reduce their risk of death by 20 per cent, a major review of existing research has suggested.</p>
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Academics at Cardiff University carried out a systematic review of 118 published observational studies in patients with 18 different cancers.</p>
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They pooled the results and found that in a total of nearly 2,50,000 patients with cancer, who reported taking aspirin, this was associated with a reduction of nearly 20 per cent in cancer deaths.</p>
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The review said the available body of evidence on its efficacy and safety "justifies its use" as a supplementary treatment in a wide range of cancers" and patients should be informed of this.</p>
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Their review is published in the open access journal ecancermedicalscience.</p>
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"In recent years, my research team and I have been struck by the actions of aspirin on the biological mechanisms relevant to cancer — and these seem to be the same in many different cancers," said lead author Peter Elwood, Professor at the varsity.</p>
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"Overall, we found that at any time after a diagnosis of cancer, nearly 20 per cent more of the patients who took aspirin were alive, compared with patients not taking aspirin," he added</p>
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The team also considered the risks of aspirin — a small number of patients had experienced a bleed, but there was no evidence of any excess deaths attributable to bleeding in the patients on aspirin, the review said.</p>
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"Our research suggests that not only does aspirin help to cut risk of death but it has also been shown to reduce the spread of cancer within the body — so-called metastatic spread," Elwood added.</p>
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The team said there is now a considerable body of evidence to suggest a significant reduction in mortality in patients with cancer who take aspirin — and that benefit appears to not be restricted to one or a few cancers.</p>
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"Aspirin, therefore, appears to deserve serious consideration as an adjuvant treatment of cancer and patients with cancer and their carriers should be informed of the available evidence," Elwood added.</p>
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"However, we must also stress that aspirin is not a possible alternative to any other treatment," he noted.</p>