Last updated 22 October 2010
Long-term use of low-dose aspirin may help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, new research suggests.
Scientists at the University of Oxford have carried out a 20-year follow-up of five clinical trials, including four which compared aspirin use with a placebo (dummy pill) and one which looked at different doses of aspirin.
Scientists at the University of Oxford have carried out a 20-year follow-up of five clinical trials, including four which compared aspirin use with a placebo (dummy pill) and one which looked at different doses of aspirin.
Their findings, which are published in the Lancet, suggest that long-term use of low-dose aspirin could reduce the number of cases of bowel cancer by a quarter.
Furthermore, the approach could reduce bowel cancer-related mortality by more than a third.
Previous studies have shown that high doses of aspirin can help to reduce an individual's risk of bowel cancer.
However, taking high doses of aspirin over a long period of time can increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.
The latest research suggests that even low doses of aspirin can be beneficial, while reducing the risk of side-effects.
Researcher Professor Peter Rothwell claimed that long-term low-dose aspirin treatment could 'substantially' reduce bowel cancer incidence, when combined with a new screening technique called the 'Flexi-scope' test.
He suggested: 'The new findings on the effect of low-dose aspirin should be included in advice given to the public on the screening programme and other approaches to preventing colorectal cancer.'
Bowel cancer is currently the third most common cancer in the UK and the second most common form of the disease in women.
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