long term, low-dose aspirin use may modestly reduce the risk of dying of certain cancers

A new report from British scientists suggests that long term, low-dose aspirin use may modestly reduce the risk of dying of certain cancers, though experts warn the study isn’t strong enough to recommend healthy people start taking a pill that can cause bleeding and other problems.

While some experts said the analysis adds to evidence of aspirin’s potential to cut  cancer risk others said it falls short of changing advice to healthy people, and it failed to show the benefits apply equally to women trials mostly compared men who took a daily dose of at least 75 milligrams of aspirin for heart problems to people who took a placebo or another drug. On average, the studies lasted at least four years”I definitely think we wouldn’t want to make any treatment decisions based on this study,” said Dr. Raymond DuBois, a cancer prevention specialist who is provost of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “If anyone is co tnsidering aspirin on a regular basis, they should talk to their doctor first,” Yong said. He warned people should not think of aspirin as a guarantee against cancer and other prevention strategies like not smoking and keeping a healthy body weight were essential.

One concern ishat the studies were designed to look at cardiovascular risks, so the groups of people being compared may differ on things .Aspirin has long been recommended for some people with heart problems.

But it can have serious side effects  like bleeding in the stomach and intestines and poses risks in groups like the elderly who are prone to fallsEric Jacobs, an American Cancer Society epidemiologist, called it a “major contribution” and said the study results, in addition to previous research, suggested aspirin’s effects on the risk of dying from several cancers “appear likely.”Others said the study wasn’t strong enough for doctors to start recommending aspirin.