Study aspirin protects against cancer?

ASA for cancer screening?

A British study claims that daily intake of the aspirin drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) reduces the risk of premature death from cancer.

08/12/2010

According to a British study, even a small dose of the analgesic acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) before sleep is sufficient to significantly reduce the risk of cancer. However, doctors warn against taking the analgesic every day for self-medication daily. As with all medicines, ingestion is only responsible in consultation with the family doctor.

Big and small know, before you sleep you should always brush your teeth. A ritual that has manifested in our society. In the same way, the intake of small amounts of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) should be part of the ritual in the future, as the scientists around the British researcher Peter Rothwell claim. According to the professor of neurology at Oxford University, the aspirin drug protects against premature cancer and premature death. The team led by the scientist, the largest ever study on the analgesic drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and achieved amazing results.

ASA as a painkiller and for cardiac care
The ASA substance was actually developed to relieve back pain, headaches, dental and rheumatic complaints. It has also been shown in the past that ASA prevents blood clots from emerging. Patients who have suffered a heart attack are therefore prescribed the analgesic to reduce the risk of re-infarction. Incidentally, the same applies to the stroke. In the trade, the drug is called aspirin or „ASS 100 Hexal“ offered. However, Peter Rothwell did not want to commit himself to daily use of the remedy. Therefore, adults should not start taking ASA on a daily basis. However, the study results showed that the drug could protect against all cancers, the researchers said.

Aspirin, 75 milligrams daily, reduces cancer risk
As part of the evaluation, data from a total of 25570 patients were analyzed. The data came from a total of eight different studies conducted worldwide. On average, each volunteer took the remedy within four years at a low dose of 75 milligrams daily. In fact, the study aimed to investigate the positive effect on the cardiovascular system. However, when the researchers evaluated the data, it became apparent which positive effect ASA also achieved in the prevention of cancerous diseases. In the study participants who took ASA for at least five years daily, the death toll from cancer was 21 percent lower than those who took a placebo (no active ingredient).

The result was particularly successful in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Here, the risk values ​​were particularly reduced in colorectal cancer by 40 percent and in esophageal cancer even by 60 percent. Prostate, colon and pancreatic cancer, brain tumors and lung cancer have also been shown to reduce cancer rates. In lung cancer, however, the researchers pointed out that this refers to the type of lung cancer, which is not triggered by smoking. It is also possible to reduce the risk of cancer in colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. Here, however, the data is not yet clear. However, a long-term study by the American Cancer Society with a total of 987,590 participants showed that aspirin has neither a promoting nor a protective effect on pancreatic cancer. A previous study had even found that long-term use of aspirin favored tumors in the pancreas.

Continuous use may cause side effects
But all of this data should not be used to prompt people to take an appropriate dose of ASA every day. Because the continued use of painkillers inevitably leads to side effects, which in turn can overload the supposedly positive effect. Frequently, continuous intake of ASA triggers nausea, heartburn, and vomiting. The Drug Commission of the German medical profession also points out that acetylsalicylic acid may cause mucosal irritation, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract and stomach ulcers due to their irritant effect with regular use. Caution should also be exercised in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease, as acetylsalicylic acid may cause relapses. (Sb)

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ASA painkillers cause intestinal diseases?
Pain medication as a cause of pain?
Many medications are unnecessary

Picture credits: Gerd Altmann