Daily aspirin is recommended mainly for the elderly, as its role as an antiplatelet helps reduce the risk of heart attack.
The drug has also been linked to the development of stomach ulcers.
According to a new analysis, people taking aspirin at least three times a week, are more likely to survive bladder cancer, while experiencing a reduced risk of dying from breast cancer.
Regular intake, however, did not appear to have an effect on the risk of bladder cancer., of breast, of the pancreas or digestive tract.
It also did not reduce a person's risk of dying from cancer of the digestive tract or pancreas.
Researchers at the US National Cancer Institute note that taking aspirin at least three times a week has been linked to increased survival from bladder and breast cancer..
The findings show that for some cancers, the greatest benefit is associated with increased download frequency.
The findings were based on analyzes of cancer diagnoses and survival for 140.000 people. The researchers focused on the rates of these cancers and deaths from the disease in participants 76 years and older. The 18% of them reported taking aspirin at least three times a week.
Among the participants, the 1% was diagnosed with bladder cancer and 3,3% with breast cancer.
Digestive cancers, of the esophagus, of the pancreas and uterus were less common, although overall diagnosed in 1,6% of the participants.
Participants taking aspirin at least three times a week, were more likely to survive up to 20 years after being diagnosed with bladder or breast cancer, compared with those who received less aspirin.
The benefits of taking aspirin in terms of chances of survival, decreased over time and the drug did not have the same effect on survival from other cancers.
Aspirin blocks the production of the enzyme COX-2, which may play a role in the development of bladder and breast cancer.
The findings were published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
source: onmed.gr
