Aspirin cuts cancer risk

London, March 21 (IANS) An aspirin a day for as little as three years can significantly reduce the risk of cancer in middle-aged people, a study has said.

Aspirin not only appears to stop cancers from developing, but also prevents them from spreading to other parts of the body, The Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Those who took low dose (75mg) aspirin daily in their 60s benefited just as much as those who started taking it earlier, the study, published in the journal The Lancet, said.
Researchers have found that those who took low-dose daily aspirin for between three and five years reduced the chance of being diagnosed with cancer at that time by 19 percent. Five years or more after starting taking aspirin, the reduction rose to 30 percent.
Lead author, professor Peter Rothwell, of Oxford University’s Stroke Prevention Research Unit, said: “These data do push the argument in favour of taking daily low-dose aspirin, particularly if you have a family history of heart disease or cancer.”