Aspirin could 'double' Gastrointestinal cancer life expectancy

New research has found that a daily dose of aspirin could ‘double’ survival chances of patients with cancers affecting the gastrointestinal tract (GI).

The Netherlands study, published by Leiden University Medical Centre, found that regular users of aspirin were twice as likely to still be alive after a four-year period as those who did not take the painkiller drug.

Martine Frouws, managing director at Leiden University Medical Centre, said: “Given that aspirin is a cheap, off-patent drug with relatively few side-effects, this will have a great impact on healthcare systems as well as patients."

Researchers analysed 13,715 patients who had been diagnosed with a GI cancer between 1998 and 2011. When these patients were cross-referenced with their use of aspirin, an immediate pattern emerged showing that use of the pain killer was linked to longer overall survival rates.

The investigation revealed that 30per cent of patients used aspirin before they were diagnosed with cancer, 8 per cent only used it after they were diagnosed, and 61 per cent had not taken aspirin at all.

The researchers found that patients who took aspirin after their diagnosis were around twice as likely to survive as comparable patients with the same cancer type and at the same stage of the disease as those who did not.

The researchers believe that the beneficial effects of aspirin in cancer is due to its ability to prevent blood from clotting, giving cancer cells fewer places to hide from the body's immune system.

Dr Christian Abnet, based at the National Cancer Institute in America, added: “The number of people who survive at least five years following a diagnosis of stomach or oesophageal cancer is low, so it's important to increase our understanding of ways to prevent the disease and to investigate aspirin as a possible preventative drug.”

According to Cancer Research UK, approximately 7,000 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer each year, compared to 40,000 diagnosed cases of bowel cancer. Yet, 54 per cent and 75 per cent of these cases are preventable.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “It's far too early to recommend that people take aspirin to protect themselves from these cancers.

“In cancers where survival is low, understanding how to prevent the disease is crucial, but more research is needed to discover how side effects can be balanced with the benefits. Cancer Research UK would urge people to speak to their doctor before taking aspirin regularly.”

The findings will be presented to the 2015 European Cancer Congress in Vienna.