Low Doses Of Aspirin May Significantly Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Researchers at Yale University have determined that low doses of Aspirin can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by as much as 50 percent. The researchers followed patients taking the drug for several years in an attempt to prevent cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that those taking low dose aspirin for three years prior to the start of the study had reduced their risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 48 percent, while those who had started taking aspirin 20 years prior to the start of the study reduced their risk by 60 percent.

Harvey Risch, professor of epidemiology at Yale University, commented on the results of the study. “Using low-dose aspirin seems to cut the risk of pancreatic cancer by half,” he said. “We saw significant reductions in risk with short-term usage as well as with long-term usage.”

Aspirin is one of the cheapest and most commonly used drugs on the market in the western world. Previous studies have shown a correlation between aspirin use and lower risks of cancer, but there are some uncertainties with long term aspirin use as well.

The Yale researchers stated that aspirin should not be taken by healthy individuals looking to prevent cancer unless they consult with their doctor first. Unless patients are considered to be high risk for certain types of cancer, aspirin could still produce more adverse side effects than positive ones. Because aspirin makes blood platelets less sticky, the risk of stomach bleeds increases, and those bleeds can be deadly in rare instances. Prolonged aspirin usage can also increase the danger of broken blood vessel breaks in the brain.

Risch continued by saying, "Aspirin is not totally harmless. It has its own side-effects. But if somebody's doctor said they had a high risk of pancreatic cancer because of a family history, I'd say low dose aspirin is a reasonable thing to use as part of a risk-reduction plan."