A daily low dose of aspirin will not prevent cancer in later life, and could even increase your risk of dying from the disease, landmark new research has found.
Globally, an aging population has meant we have seen an increase in the prevalence of age-related disorders, including cancer – with two-thirds of all new cases diagnosed in those aged 60 and older.
Previous studies have hinted that the over-the-counter painkiller may lower the risk of getting some cancers, including bowel cancer, stop them from spreading and even prevent death.
But now, Australian researchers have dispelled these claims, suggesting that starting to take aspirin in old age to prevent cancer could have negative side-effects, and can even increase risk of developing the disease.
In the study, published in the journal JAMA Oncology, researchers prescribed over 19,100 adults aged 70 and older a daily 100mg aspirin tablet, or matching placebo.
At the beginning of the study – which lasted just over 4.5years, all participants were free from heart disease, dementia and could live largely independently.
A history of cancer was not a means for exclusion, but all participants involved were expected to survive for at least five years as judged by their doctors.
Throughout the course of the study, there were 3,448 cancer cases recorded, and 1,173 cancer-related deaths.
Taking aspirin in old age to prevent cancer is not recommended, the experts say and could even increase your risk of dying from the disease
Results showed that 8.5 years later, taking aspirin for just over four-and-a-half years had no impact on cancer risk.
Interestingly, those who were taking aspirin every day and developed cancer were 15 per cent more likely to die from the disease than those prescribed placebo pills.
In the 14,907 surviving participants who did not develop cancer during the study period, there were no major differences seen between treatment groups in terms of age, sex, body weight, smoking status, alcohol use and family history.
The researchers concluded, with the exception of melanoma, taking aspirin daily does not help protect against cancer, and could increase the risk of death.
They also explored aspirin effects on cancer according to stage at diagnosis, and found aspirin was linked with increased risk of stage four cancer – meaning the cancer had already spread from where it started to another body organ by the time it was diagnosed.
The team concluded: ‘We found overall no cancer incidence benefit with aspirin when initiated in older age, but cancer mortality risk remained significantly elevated, although longer follow-up of the cohort is warranted.’
This is because whilst the researchers did observe an increase in cancer mortality risk linked with taking aspirin, this did not persist into the post-trial follow up period, suggesting no legacy effect.
The finding that aspirin could have a long-term protective effect against melanoma – the fifth most common cancer in the UK – warrants further research, the experts said, given that Australians spend a lot of time in the sun exposed to harmful UV rays.
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Around 15,000 Brits and 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year, with the incidence rising faster than any other common cancer.
Increased UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds, has been blamed for the increase.
The disease occurs after the DNA in skin cells is damaged, triggering mutations that become cancerous.
Despite huge strides forward in treatment that has seen survival leap from less than 50 per cent to more than 90 per cent in the past decade, it still kills more than 2,000 people a year.
Melanoma is often fast growing and can quickly burrow through the skin and into the blood vessels beneath.
Once the cancer cells get into the bloodstream, the disease can spread throughout the body.
