Study shows aspirin lowers colorectal cancer risk

According to a new study, Long-term aspirin therapy is associated with a reduced risk of Colorectal cancer.

A team of researchers from Oxford University found that taking aspirin cut cases by a quarter and deaths by more than a third in a review of 14,000 patients.

“Our findings suggest that long-term low-dose aspirin treatment and sigmoidoscopy screening would combine to substantially reduce cancer incidence in all parts of the colon and rectum,” said the lead author, Peter Rothwell, a professor at the Department of Clinical Neurology at Oxford University.

Rothwell and his team determined that a dose of 75g would be needed – approximately a quarter of the average tablet bought in pharmacies. “Anyone who has a family history of colon cancer should think about taking low-dose aspirin. It also cut the number of deaths from the disease by more than a third.

The four trials included more than 14,000 people who were treated with aspirin or placebo for an average of six years. During an average of 18 years of follow-up, 2.8 percent developed colorectal cancer, the researchers found.

Past research has determined a daily dose of at least 500 milligrams of aspirin could prevent colorectal cancer, but the harmful effects of such a high dose overbalanced the benefits. Now, researchers say a low dose, equivalent to a baby or regular aspirin, also appears to work. But side effects are still a concern.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in developed countries, with around one million new cases and 600 000 deaths around the world each year.