Study: Aspirin May Help Prevent Cancer Deaths
Aspirin is already known as a wonder drug for heart disease; data released tonight suggests it might even be a life saver for cancer, too, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
In a study of 25,570 people in the British journal “Lancet”, the number of deaths from cancer was lowered by 21 percent in those who took low dose aspirin for at least five years.
“We were surprised by the extent to which it does reduce the death rate,” said Professor Tom Meade of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the study’s author.
The numbers over the long term were even more striking: The risk of death after 20 years was reduced by about 10 percent for prostate cancer, 30 percent for lung cancer, 40 percent for colorectal cancer and 60 percent for esophageal cancer.
Which raises the question: Should everyone take low dose aspirin?
The answer, of course, is not really.