Aspirin may cut cancer risk

Taking aspirin could cut the risk of stomach cancer risk, new research suggests.

A report published in the British Journal of Cancer today claims users of the drug could be 36 per cent less likely to contract a certain type of cancer.

The study looked at over 300,000 people and found people who had taken aspirin at least once in the previous year were significantly less likely to get non-cardia gastric cancer (of the middle or lower parts of the stomach).

Also, there was a 32 per cent reduction for the same tumours in people who used other types of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs ? or NSAIDs.

However, researchers found, in contrast to previous studies, aspirin does not protect against oesophageal cancer and cardia gastric cancer (of the top part of the stomach).

“The number of people who survive at least five years following a diagnosis of stomach or oesophageal cancer is low, so it’s important to increase our understanding of ways to prevent the disease and to investigate aspirin as a possible preventative drug.”