Can Aspirin Counteract Cancer?

Taking a daily low dose of aspirin for several years may reduce cancer risk. It also may slow the growth of cancer and reduce the risk of dying from the disease. The results came from three British studies. Two of them analyzed the data from 51 clinical trials. The clinical trials were testing whether aspirin helped to prevent heart attack and stroke. People were randomly assigned to take aspirin or a placebo (fake pill). One of the British studies found that those who took aspirin for at least 5 years had a 37% drop in the risk of dying from cancer. Another showed that people taking aspirin who were later diagnosed with cancer had a lower risk of the cancer spreading to distant sites. They also had half the risk of dying from cancer, compared with people who did not take aspirin.