A new study suggests the same inexpensive pill might extend survival
for patients battling cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, including
tumors of the colon and esophagus. "Given that aspirin is a
cheap, off-patent drug with relatively few side effects, this will have a
great impact on health care systems as well as patients," study lead
author Dr. Martine Frouws, of Leiden University Medical Center in the
Netherlands.
One U.S. expert said the findings aren't surprising.
"For many
years, gastroenterologists and oncologists have known that aspirin can
improve survival in certain types of hereditary colon cancer," said Dr.
Arun Swaminath, director of the inflammatory bowel disease program at
Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
He also noted that earlier
this year, the influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
"suggested that certain populations at average risk of colon cancer may
benefit from taking low-dose aspirin."
People who took daily low-dose aspirin after their diagnosis were twice
as likely to survive as those who did not. This benefit of taking
aspirin was seen after the researchers adjusted for other factors such
as sex, age, cancer state, type of treatment, and other health
conditions.
"It's not clear in this study if using aspirin prevents these cancers, only that those taking aspirin is tied to better survival."
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