New findings, published today, reinforce the potential benefits of aspirin for patients with bowel cancer.
Dutch researchers have found that a daily dose of the pill cut the risk of dying from the disease by 30 per cent.
In the study, reported in the British Journal of Cancer, patients took the pill daily for nine months after being diagnosed.
And even taking the pill for a limited period cut the risk of death by 23 per cent.
Researchers studied the fate of 4,500 patients in the Netherlands over a ten year period. About three quarters were taking aspirin after diagnosis with the disease.
Researcher Dr Gerrit-Jan Liefers, of the Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands, said: “Our findings could have profound clinical implications. In this study, we showed the therapeutic effect of a widely-available, familiar drug that costs mere pennies per day.
“It’s possible that some older people may have other health problems which mean that they are not well enough to have chemotherapy. Bowel cancer is more common in older people so these results could be a big advance in treatment of the disease, particularly in this group. But we need further research to confirm this.”
The findings follow scientific studies of chemicals in aspirin which may have anti-cancer properties.
Sarah Lyness, of Cancer Research UK, said: “This latest study adds to the growing evidence about the benefits of aspirin. The latest evidence suggests that the drug not only reduces the risk of dying from cancer, but can also help prevent the disease from developing in the first place.
“But we are not yet at the point where we would recommend people start taking aspirin to reduce their chances of developing cancer."
She added: "People with cancer should be aware that aspirin can increase the chances of complications before surgery or other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and should discuss this with their specialist."
Use of aspirin post diagnosis improves survival for colon cancer patients Bastiaannet, E et al. British Journal of Cancer April 25 2012
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