Good Old Aspirin May Protect Against Bowel Cancer

One of the oldest drugs, aspirin is much more to us today than just a medication for pain and fever. Despite being so old, the multiple benefits of this wonder drug are still being revealed.
It has already been known that aspirin reduces the risk of bowel cancer but the possible dose for the purpose has remained uncertain.

A recent study has revealed that taking a small dose of 75mg every day lowers the risk of bowel cancer by 22 percent after a continued use of one year. The study comes from the University of Edinburgh, Napier University and the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, published in the medical journal Gut.

Colorectal or bowel cancer is the second most common cause of deaths related to cancer around the world. Previously done studies have provided evidence suggesting that aspirin and other non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs can protect against the disease. However, what dose of aspirin might be effective and the duration for which the medication should be used has never been clear. The researchers aimed at identifying the answers to these questions.

In this observational study, the researchers included 2,279 people with bowel cancer and 2,907 healthy people. The cases and controls were well matched for age, gender and residential area. The participants were supposed to fill a questionnaire answering questions about their lifestyle choices and medication use. The researchers also recorded medical history, physical activity, smoking status, height, weight and waist circumference and socio economic data. They used standard statistical methods to analyze the association between the use of aspirin as well as other NSAIDs and the risk of bowel cancer.

From the research it was found that a low dose of 75mg of aspirin a day for over a year reduced the risk of bowel cancer by 22 percent. The benefits significantly increased if the pills were taken for a longer duration say five years or ten years. They also noticed that high doses were not required to lower the risk of bowel cancer. The low doses were much more effective in lowering the risk.

This is the first study to quantify the amount of aspirin needed to protect the patients from the bowel cancer. Even though the results of this study are important and reliable there are still certain limitations to it. This type of observational study can identify factors associated with the risk of disease but it cannot prove cause and effect. A further study on a larger population is required before clinically adopting the medication as a treatment against bowel cancer.

Aspirin is proving to be effective against a number of diseases but it has certain serious side effects such as stomach ulcers and internal bleeding if taken regularly. It also puts youngsters at the risk of serious complication called Reye syndrome, therefore should not be given to anyone below the age of 16 years without consulting a physician.