Research shows that people who use aspirin daily have a lower risk of colon cancer
People who take aspirin every day may have a lower risk of developing colon cancer, a study suggests.
The common painkiller appears to boost immune cells in the digestive tract, preventing tumor cells from multiplying and spreading.
Other studies have linked aspirin use to an up to 40 percent lower risk of colon cancer.
But researchers don’t recommend using the OTC drug as a preventative because it can lead to stomach ulcers, internal bleeding and even stroke.
The over-the-counter drug is typically used to reduce inflammation and make the blood less thick, reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke (stock image)
The graph above shows the cases of colon cancer among those under 50 per year. There has been a decline in 2020 as the Covid pandemic led to fewer people registering for screenings
Dr. Mona Rezapour, a gastroenterologist at UCLA, said in response to previous research: “We know that aspirin reduces the risk of colon cancer.
“But we don’t yet recommend it to the general population because the benefits do not outweigh the risks for everyone.”
For the study, researchers analyzed tissue samples from 238 colon cancer patients diagnosed with the disease between 2015 and 2019.
Of these, 12 percent – or 29 people – turned out to be long-term aspirin users.
A comparison of the two groups showed that those who took daily aspirin had higher levels of CD80 – a protein linked to higher immune cell activity.
They also appeared to have fewer cancer cells around the lymph nodes – small bean-shaped structures that are part of the body’s immune system – and more immune cells circulating in tumors.
The researchers said in the article: ‘These observations suggest an (immune-enhancing) effect of aspirin in the (large) intestine.
‘This happens through the activation of (immune cell) ‘crosstalk’, or added communication between cells.
The study is not the first to suggest that aspirin can prevent colon cancer, with other papers suggesting it reduces the risk by as much as 40 percent by reducing inflammation.
Officials from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (which is behind the treatment recommendations) have also studied aspirin for its cancer-preventive effects.
But they have warned against regular use of the drug among the general population, saying the benefits do not outweigh the risks.
They pointed to side effects including damage to the kidneys, internal bleeding and irritation of the stomach lining, resulting in ulcers.
About 40 million Americans take aspirin every day, normally to protect against stroke or heart disease.
It comes amid a mysterious spike in bowel cancer cases among adults under 50, with celebrities standing out including Chadwick Boseman – who played King T’Challa in Black Panther.
Nearly 18,000 cases are now diagnosed in this age group each year, compared to 12,000 per year before 2000.
An even greater increase has been observed in all cancers affecting the digestive tract.
The number of early-stage cancers of all forms is also increasing, having increased by 79 percent globally between 1990 and 2019, according to an analysis published last year in BMJ Oncology.
Scientists are baffled as to what’s causing the uptick, blaming everything from antibiotics to obesity and even a type of fungus.
A $25 million global investigation has also been launched to identify the causes.