Key points from article :
Taking aspirin regularly may help ward off cancers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
A meta-analysis of 113 observational studies was done.
Aspirin led to 27% reduced risk for colon cancer, 22% for pancreatic cancer, 33% for oesophageal cancer, 36% for stomach cancer, & 38% for liver cancer.
But aspirin can cause bleeding in the GI tract and increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
“Results are promising, though they don’t...justify expanding the current aspirin guidelines for heart protection to include the drug’s use for prevention of GI cancers", - Steven Jacobsohn, a gastroenterologist.
Independent randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm any benefits.
Findings are not robust enough to recommend aspirin for GI-cancer protection yet.
Research by IRCSS published in Annals of Oncology.
