Long term aspirin use sharply reduces incidence of digestive cancers – Study

Personally, I try to take as few drugs as possible and as small a dosage that I can. My action is rational in that I don’t like to introduce foreign substances into my system. Additionally, I also feel uncomfortable about foreign substances in my system. So, I take a minimum of drugs, especially considering the fact that I will be 78 years old at the end of January. One of the few exception is aspirin. I take one regular aspirin (326 mg) every morning to help reduce the pain from arthritis in both of my hands. So, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are further benefits to aspirin.

The long-term use of aspirin has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of digestive cancers, new research presented at the 25th UEG (United European Gastroenterology) Week has found.

In a study involving over 600,000 people, researchers compared patients who were prescribed aspirin over a long period (for at least six months, average duration of aspirin prescribed was 7.7 years) with non-aspirin users and assessed the incidences of a number of cancers. Those prescribed with aspirin showed a 47 percent reduction in liver and esophageal cancer incidence, a 38 percent reduction in gastric cancer incidence, a 34 percent reduction in pancreatic cancer incidence and a 24 percent reduction in colorectal cancer incidence.

Digestive cancers account for almost a quarter of cancer cases in Europe. Colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancer are within the top five cancer killers throughout the continent, with digestive cancers representing 30.1% of cancer deaths.

The effect of long-term use of aspirin on cancer incidence was also examined for cancers outside of the digestive system. Here, a significant reduction was shown for some (leukaemia, lung and prostate) but not all (breast, bladder, kidney and multiple myeloma) cancers.

Aspirin is used across the globe to treat a number of health conditions, ranging from short-term pain relief to long-term prescriptions. While the use of aspirin is subject to debate within the medical community, a recent study found that patients who stopped taking aspirin were 37 percent more likely to have an adverse cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, than those who continued with their prescription.

Lead researcher, Professor Kelvin Tsoi from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, presented the study today at the 25th UEG Week in Barcelona. “The findings demonstrate that the long-term use of aspirin can reduce the risk of developing many major cancers” commented Professor Tsoi. “What should be noted is the significance of the results for cancers within the digestive tract, where the reductions in cancer incidence were all very substantial, especially for liver and esophageal cancer.”

5 responses to “Long term aspirin use sharply reduces incidence of digestive cancers – Study”

bgddyjim

November 5, 2017 at 12:49 am

Time to buy some aspirin!

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Making It up As We Go

November 5, 2017 at 4:09 pm

Interesting! I hadn’t heard this before

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- Tony
  
  November 5, 2017 at 4:39 pm
  
  Thanks for commenting. Happy to help.
  
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Doctor Jonathan

November 7, 2017 at 9:52 am

As the article states, this is a controversial subject.
1. Aspirin (and other NSAIDS) are the #1 OTC cause of death in the U.S. Long term use increases susceptibility to “bleed out” brain hemorrhaging (stroke) although it reduces the risk of blot clot formation. It is also a leading cause of gastric and small intestinal bleeding resulting in nutrient malabsorption and recurring inflammatory conditions including Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease.
2. The study doesn’t explain whether the participants dietary habits played a leading role in the onset of their cancers. If lifestyle factors reduce the risk of Digestive Cancers, making adjustments to these factors makes more sense than adding pharmaceutical drugs to the equation.

Natural anti inflammatories such as boswelia, turmeric, bromelain and ginger can effectively reduce arthritic pain without secondary complications. An anti inflammatory diet would compliment these supplements as well. If this approach doesn’t sufficiently reduce the arthritic symptoms to the point of quality functional satisfaction, OTC aspirin (potentially in much smaller dosages) could be utilized.

It is my opinion the synthetic drug (OTC or prescription) should be the last substance used rather than the first to minimize secondary complications while providing the body enough support to restore homeostasis. Only the PAIN of chronic inflammation is managed with NSAIDS; they do NOT prevent the advancement of arthritic degeneration. Lifestyle is more effective at slowing down this advancement.

Great subject to discuss so people can see the various approaches to addressing disease.

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- Tony
  
  November 7, 2017 at 11:10 am
  
  Thanks very much for sharing your information and expertise, Doctor Jonathan.
  
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