The latest study about aspirin and cancer continues to offer up good news about the over-the-counter drug’s affect on mortality rates: It found that taking aspirin three times a week may reduce risk of death for seniors above age 65 with prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., which involved data from 146,152 cancer patients, found that such seniors were 15% less likely to die from their illnesses. Weight, however, seems to play role in aspirin’s efficacy: People who were underweight had no observable benefit associated with this aspirin use, while those average weight or overweight were associated with reduced mortality risk.
How Aspirin Relates to Cancer
Read MoreAspirin can help keep the inflammation in check so that the risk for DNA damage is lower, and cancer risk is reduced.
Past Studies
Previous research has suggested that taking a daily dose of aspirin could reduce the risk of developing a number of cancers including colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer and prostate cancer.
Additionally, studies have shown aspirin to be most beneficial for people with colorectal cancer or high risk of developing it. In November 2018, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), a group of experts in primary care and prevention that reviews evidence from different studies, said that physicians should prescribe aspirin to anyone with advanced polyps, which can lead to colorectal cancer, unless there's a specific reason not to.
In a study published this August, researchers found that aspirin may reduce or increase mortality risk for people with breast cancer, depending on the person. The determining factor has to do with a process called "methylation," which can affect which genes are turned on and which genes are turned off.
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