Long term aspirin use tied to lower colon cancer risk in women
Low-dose aspirin, even if not taken daily, may reduce a woman’s risk of colon cancer over the long term, according to a new study that did not find the same effect for other types of cancer.
The apparent benefit came at a cost, as women taking aspirin also had higher rates of stomach bleeding and ulcers, a common result of aspirin usage. We suggest that if this is an issue, use a buffered aspirin product.
But researchers found that women who took 100 milligrams (mg) of aspirin every other day for at least 10 years ended up with about a 20 percent lower risk of colon cancer after some 18 years of follow up, compared to women who took a placebo.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), colon and rectal cancers are the third most common types of cancer in the U.S.
Previous studies have found that higher and more frequent doses of aspirin – often taken by people with heart disease – are linked to a reduced risk of death from a number of cancers (see: reut.rs/12s0Y7k).
Cook said other studies have also found a delay of about five to 10 years in observing the benefits of regular aspirin use on cancer risk.
Women who continued to take aspirin after the original trial had the greatest reduced risk, according to the researchers.
It is important to remember that aspirin is a real drug with real side effects, including sometimes causing serious, even occasionally fatal, stomach bleeding, even at low doses.
Aspirin use is recommended for most people who have had a heart attack, and has some benefits for colorectal cancer as well, but at this point the American Cancer Society does not recommend that people use aspirin specifically to prevent cancer.
The benefits may outweigh those (risks) because you would be preventing more heart attacks and strokes.
SOURCE: bit.ly/Ms1ZbQ Annals of Internal Medicine, online July 15, 2013.
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