Can Aspirin Help Prevent Cancer?

A daily aspirin may cut your risk of cancer, new research suggests. But doctors advise that there's no reason for everyone to start taking it -- at least not yet.

British researchers analyzed data from more than 50 studies and found that those who took daily aspirin were less likely to develop cancer -- and if they did, it tended to be less advanced.

Nowhere was the evidence stronger than it was for colon cancer, where taking daily aspirin halved the chance that their disease would spread.

"This is very encouraging information," says Dr. Roy Herbst, Chief of Medical Oncology for the Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Conn. "It suggests that aspirin could play a very important role in cancer prevention." "I am intrigued by the consistency of the findings and this is something that can be implemented quickly that people are not opposed to," said Dr. Kristen Moysich, professor of oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. "It is an easy thing to do."

Most agreed that before medical experts can make any concrete recommendations, further study is needed.

(From Yahoo)