Aspirin Could Increase Cancer Survival Rates by 20%

A new study suggests a significant reduction in mortality and cancer spread in patients who took a low-level dose of aspirin in addition to their cancer treatment.

Researchers at Cardiff University (United Kingdom; Cardiff University, UK) conducted a systematic review of the available scientific literature in Medline and Embase through December 2015 regarding aspirin taken by patients after a diagnosis of cancer. Two reviewers applied pre-determined eligibility criteria to assess study quality and extract data on cancer cause-specific deaths, overall mortality, and incidence of metastases. The studies were also examined for any reference to bleeding, and authors of the papers were contacted and questioned.

The researchers found five reports of randomized trials and forty two observational studies: sixteen on colorectal cancer, ten on breast cancer, and ten on prostate cancer mortality. The pooled results suggest that low-dose aspirin was associated with a mortality reduction of about 15-20%, together with a reduction in cancer metastasis. The researchers also found that a genetic mutation, known as PIK3CA, was present in about 20% of patients, explaining much of the reduction in colon cancer mortality by aspirin. The study was published on April 20, 2016, in PLOS One.

“We'd urge patients diagnosed with cancer to speak to their doctor about our findings so they can make an informed decision as to whether or not they should take a low-dose aspirin as part of their cancer treatment,” concluded lead author Professor Peter Elwood, PhD, of the Cardiff Institute of Primary Care & Public Health. “One of the concerns about taking aspirin remains the potential for intestinal bleeding; that's why we specifically looked at the available evidence of bleeding, and we wrote to all authors asking for further data. In no study was serious or life-threatening bleeding reported.”

Aspirin--acetylsalicylic acid--is most often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as anti-inflammatory medication. Aspirin's efficacy as an anticlotting agent, and its widespread use as a preventive treatment for heart attacks and strokes have turned it into one of the most widely used medications in the world, with an estimated 40,000 tons of it being consumed each year.

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