“Should I be taking aspirin to reduce the risk of dying from cancer?”
This is likely to be the question on many people’s minds today, which sees the publication of three reports on the effects of aspirin on cancer risk, and cancer spread – two in the Lancet, and one in sister journal Lancet Oncology.
But a Report by American Cancer Society scientists reveals the data showing aspirin's potential role in reducing the risk of cancer death bring us considerably closer to use the aspirin as a cancer preventive pill . The report, published early online in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, says even a 10% reduction in overall cancer incidence beginning during the first 10 years of treatment could tip the balance of benefits and risks favorably in average-risk populations.
Current guidelines for the use of aspirin in disease prevention consider only its cardiovascular benefits, weighed against the potential harm from aspirin-induced bleeding. While regular usage has also been convincingly shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and recurrence of adenomatous polyps, these benefits alone do not outweigh harms from aspirin-induced bleeding in average-risk populations. But recently published secondary analyses of cardiovascular trials have provided the first randomized evidence that daily aspirin use may also reduce the incidence of all cancers combined, even at low doses (75-100 mg daily).
The current review, led by Michael J. Thun, M.D., vice president emeritus of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society was not designed as a comprehensive review of the literature, but instead is a focused discussion of the key outstanding issues in using aspirin as a cancer prevention tool.
The report says recently published meta-analyses of results from randomized trials of daily aspirin treatment to prevent vascular events have provided provocative evidence that daily aspirin at doses of 75 mg and above might lower both overall cancer incidence and overall cancer mortality.
"The accumulating data from randomized clinical trials provide an exciting opportunity to reconsider the potential role of aspirin in cancer prevention," write the authors. They say several important questions remain unanswered, such as the exact magnitude of the overall cancer benefit and which individual cancer sites contribute to this benefit. "However, these new data bring us considerably closer to the time when cancer prevention can be integrated into the clinical guidelines for prophylactic treatment following regulatory review by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.
The role of aspirin in cancer prevention. Thun MJ, Jacobs EJ, Patrono C., Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2012 Apr 3. doi: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2011.199.
1. Avoid tobacco in all its forms, including exposure to secondhand smoke.
2. Choose a healthy diet. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods.
3. Exercise regularly. Physical activity has been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer, and may help prevent breast and prostate cancer.
4. Stay lean. Obesity increases the risk of many forms of cancer. Calories count; if you need to slim down, take in fewer calories and burn more with exercise.
5. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to one to two drinks a day. Excess alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), esophagus (food pipe) and liver. It also increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
6. Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. Get medical imaging studies only when you need them. Check your home for residential radon, which increases the risk of lung cancer. Cover up or use sunscreen when out in the sun.
7. Avoid exposure to industrial and environmental toxins, such as asbestos fibers.
8. Avoid infections that contribute to cancer. Examples include hepatitis viruses, HIV, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). Many are transmitted sexually infections; practicing safe sex helps.
SOURCE
http://www.worldpharmanews.com/research/2035-report-says-new-evidence-could-tip-the-balance-in-aspirin-cancer-prevention-care
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/03/21/aspirin-and-cancer-the-picture-becomes-clearer/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/aspirin-for-cancer-prevention-promising-but-not-proven-201203224517
3959BA97962059284AD378689ABB7B22
This is likely to be the question on many people’s minds today, which sees the publication of three reports on the effects of aspirin on cancer risk, and cancer spread – two in the Lancet, and one in sister journal Lancet Oncology.But a Report by American Cancer Society scientists reveals the data showing aspirin's potential role in reducing the risk of cancer death bring us considerably closer to use the aspirin as a cancer preventive pill . The report, published early online in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, says even a 10% reduction in overall cancer incidence beginning during the first 10 years of treatment could tip the balance of benefits and risks favorably in average-risk populations.
Current guidelines for the use of aspirin in disease prevention consider only its cardiovascular benefits, weighed against the potential harm from aspirin-induced bleeding. While regular usage has also been convincingly shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and recurrence of adenomatous polyps, these benefits alone do not outweigh harms from aspirin-induced bleeding in average-risk populations. But recently published secondary analyses of cardiovascular trials have provided the first randomized evidence that daily aspirin use may also reduce the incidence of all cancers combined, even at low doses (75-100 mg daily).
The current review, led by Michael J. Thun, M.D., vice president emeritus of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society was not designed as a comprehensive review of the literature, but instead is a focused discussion of the key outstanding issues in using aspirin as a cancer prevention tool.
The report says recently published meta-analyses of results from randomized trials of daily aspirin treatment to prevent vascular events have provided provocative evidence that daily aspirin at doses of 75 mg and above might lower both overall cancer incidence and overall cancer mortality.
"The accumulating data from randomized clinical trials provide an exciting opportunity to reconsider the potential role of aspirin in cancer prevention," write the authors. They say several important questions remain unanswered, such as the exact magnitude of the overall cancer benefit and which individual cancer sites contribute to this benefit. "However, these new data bring us considerably closer to the time when cancer prevention can be integrated into the clinical guidelines for prophylactic treatment following regulatory review by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.
The role of aspirin in cancer prevention. Thun MJ, Jacobs EJ, Patrono C., Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2012 Apr 3. doi: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2011.199.
Preventing cancer now
For right now, I put aspirin for cancer prevention in the promising but unproven category. Don’t wait for the definitive trials. Here are eight ways you can help prevent cancer right now:1. Avoid tobacco in all its forms, including exposure to secondhand smoke.
2. Choose a healthy diet. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods.
3. Exercise regularly. Physical activity has been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer, and may help prevent breast and prostate cancer.
4. Stay lean. Obesity increases the risk of many forms of cancer. Calories count; if you need to slim down, take in fewer calories and burn more with exercise.
5. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to one to two drinks a day. Excess alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), esophagus (food pipe) and liver. It also increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
6. Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. Get medical imaging studies only when you need them. Check your home for residential radon, which increases the risk of lung cancer. Cover up or use sunscreen when out in the sun.
7. Avoid exposure to industrial and environmental toxins, such as asbestos fibers.
8. Avoid infections that contribute to cancer. Examples include hepatitis viruses, HIV, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). Many are transmitted sexually infections; practicing safe sex helps.
SOURCE
http://www.worldpharmanews.com/research/2035-report-says-new-evidence-could-tip-the-balance-in-aspirin-cancer-prevention-care
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/03/21/aspirin-and-cancer-the-picture-becomes-clearer/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/aspirin-for-cancer-prevention-promising-but-not-proven-201203224517
3959BA97962059284AD378689ABB7B22
