Aspirin against cancer: new data
Aspirin was called a salvation from cancer
Researchers from Cardiff University have published a review in which they claim that taking low doses of aspirin during routine cancer therapy increases the chances of survival of patients by 20 percent and helps prevent the formation of metastases. The article was published in the journal PLOS ONE (Elwood et al., Aspirin in the Treatment of Cancer: Reductions in Metastatic Spread and in Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Published Studies – VM). The press release Taking aspirin could increase cancer survival by 20 percent is available on the EurekAlert website!
According to scientists, there is increasing evidence that low doses of aspirin have a noticeable positive effect in reducing the growth of certain types of cancer. To find out if this is the case, the authors of the article conducted a thorough analysis of the currently available scientific literature.
Scientists have studied the results of about fifty studies of colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. It turned out that in combination with other types of therapy, taking aspirin contributed to a reduction in mortality by about 15-20 percent, as well as a decrease in the spread of malignant tumors. Other types of cancer were also vulnerable to the drug, but the small number of patients did not allow the authors to confidently assert this.
Interestingly, the researchers found a link between the effect of taking aspirin and a mutation in the PIK3CA gene, which was present in 20 percent of patients (their tumor response to aspirin was increased, and for patients without this mutation, reliable evidence of the benefits of aspirin was not obtained – VM).
Gastrointestinal bleeding is considered one of the possible side effects of aspirin, so scientists have requested additional data from the authors of the analyzed studies. It turned out that serious or life-threatening bleeding was not observed in any of the cases.
The review highlights the need for further randomized trials to confirm the role of aspirin in cancer therapy and to determine the mechanisms of its action.
A randomized trial is an experiment in which all participants are divided into two groups, in one of which the investigated intervention is carried out, and in the other the subjects receive a placebo.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
22.04.2016