Aspirin can reduce the risk of cancer - and we're starting to understand why
BBC • • health
Key Points:
- Recent clinical trials have shown that daily low-dose aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, especially in people with Lynch Syndrome, a genetic condition that increases cancer risk.
- John Burn’s landmark study demonstrated that a daily aspirin dose of 600mg, and later 75-100mg, halved colorectal cancer incidence in Lynch Syndrome patients, leading to updated UK medical guidelines recommending aspirin use for this group.
- Research in Sweden found that aspirin reduced cancer recurrence by more than half in bowel cancer patients with specific genetic mutations, prompting changes in clinical practice to include mutation screening and aspirin therapy.
- The cancer-preventive effects of aspirin are believed to result from its inhibition of the Cox-2 enzyme and thromboxane A2, which may help the immune system detect and destroy metastatic cancer cells.
- While aspirin shows promise for cancer prevention and cardiovascular benefits, experts caution it should only be used under medical supervision due to potential side effects, and further trials are ongoing to confirm its effectiveness in other cancer types.
