Research continues to show that aspirin remains one of man’s greatest discoveries.

The latest findings about the cheap painkiller, published by the mail online revealed that women who took two to five aspirins a week or 100 mg. every day, were far less likely to die from breast cancer or for the cancer to spread.

The greatest protection, the paper reported, comes from taking the drug two, three, four or five times a week. Those that took aspirin more than twice a week cut the risk of dying by 71 per cent and the risk of the cancer spreading by 60 per cent.

Taking aspirin on six or seven days cut the death risk by 64 per cent, but the risk of spreading fell only 43 per cent.

Previous research has suggested that aspirin can protect against bowel cancer, although results for other cancers, such as breast and prostate, were less clear-cut.

The latest dramatic results came from a 30-year project tracking the health of 238,000 nurses.

The study was carried out by researchers from Harvard Medical School. Lead researcher Dr Michelle Holmes, told mail online: “This is the first study to find that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer.

“If these findings are confirmed in other clinical trials, taking aspirin may become another simple, low-cost and relatively safe tool to help women with breast cancer live longer, healthier lives.”

Drugs in the same class as aspirin, including ibuprofen and naproxen, also lowered the risks, but paracetamol did not.

However, experts warn that aspirin can have serious side effects when taken regularly including stomach irritation that can lead to ulcers and even fatal bleeding.

The risk of suffering from aspirin’s side effects, research shows, are greatly increased when the drug is taken in tablet form than when it is taken as a syrup.

It is suggested that taking water-dispersible or enteric coated aspirin helps to lower the risks of aspirin damaging stomach linings as the drug is able to by-passes the stomach before it is absorbed, resulting in less complications.

Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are advised not to take aspirin for the first 12 months as it can cause side effects while they undergo chemotherapy or radiation.

Researchers are uncertain exactly how aspirin affects tumours but it could be by lowering inflammation. The study found that there were no beneficial effects for people who took aspirin only once a week.

 Despite its benefits, many cancer sufferers could also find themselves struggling with severe side effects if they take aspirin regularly

Dr Holmes said: “Aspirin cannot be considered a substitute for conventional cancer treatments, and taking aspirin does have negative effects in some.

The paper also reported that millions of people in the UK already take low-dose aspirin every day on doctor's advice to reduce the chance of a repeat heart attack or stroke.

Others reportedly take it of their own accord for 'health insurance'.

Most of the women in the new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, were taking aspirin to prevent heart disease. blog comments powered by Disqus

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