AICR urges caution over aspirin’s bowel cancer risk benefits

A cancer research funding body has backed a new study showing the positive effects aspirin can have on bowel cancer risks, but warned that further investigations are necessary.

The Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) has stated that there is now "enough reliable scientific evidence" to say with confidence that long-term aspirin use can mitigate the danger of the disease, though the process is not yet understood.

It comes after a study published in the Lancet showed that daily 75 mg doses of aspirin taken for several years reduce long-term incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer.

However, Dr Mark Matfield, scientific coordinator for AICR, noted that regular aspirin use can also cause serious side effects among certain patient groups, such as internal bleeding.

He therefore called on patients to concentrate on protecting their health by improving their diets while research into cancer treatments continues.

"We have identified many of the genes that are involved with its cause, but we do not yet understand the full picture," Dr Matfield stated.