The study, ‘Population-wide Impact of Long-term Use of Aspirin and the Risk for Cancer’ was published in the JAMA Oncology journal.

Research finds that use of aspirin can reduce cancer risk

The researchers found that aspirin, when used more than twice a week, was associated with a 3% reduction in cancer risk.

The researchers also suggested that regular aspirin use could prevent 17% of colorectal cancers among those who didn’t undergo screening and 8.5 per cent among those who did.

But analysis of the research shows that to benefit from the protection against bowel cancer you need to take aspirin for more than five years.

NHS UK comments that many large trials of people taking regular aspirin for cardiovascular disease have also suggested that it may reduce the overall risk of cancer as well. Aspirin is also known to have its own risks such as stomach irritation, bleeding and ulceration, but, given the significant risks associated with cardiovascular disease, the benefit of taking aspirin must outweigh its possible side effects. However, the NHS cannot recommend everyone to take daily aspirin to reduce cancer risk.

Bowel cancer screening

It is important that people heed the warning that aspirin is not a substitute for bowel cancer screening which has been shown to reduce deaths from the disease.

The bowel cancer screening programme involves a home testing kit and has been designed to find those people who have the disease, or are at risk of developing the disease, before any symptoms appear so that they can receive early treatment.  Clearly, the earlier bowel cancer is diagnosed and treated, the greater the survival rate.

If blood is detected in your faeces it does not mean that you have cancer, but the results will be investigated further.

Bowel Cancer UK explains:

If you are registered with a GP and eligible for bowel cancer screening, you will receive a letter and a leaflet explaining the home testing kit prior to receiving the kit itself. These will be sent to where you live.

If you are over the screening age you may be able to opt-in and request a kit, depending on where you live in the UK.

Eligible screening age:

• 60-74 in England
• 60-74 in Wales
• 60-74 in Northern Ireland
• 50-74 in Scotland

Symptoms of bowel cancer

The symptoms of bowel cancer:

• Rectal bleeding
• A change in bowel habit lasting for 3 weeks
• Unexplained weight loss
• Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal lump/mass

Although these symptoms aren’t always caused by bowel cancer, it is still essential that the cause be identified and treated as soon as possible.

Visit Bowel Cancer UK for further information

Read about claiming compensation for failing to diagnose, or misdiagnosis of cancer on our web pages.

Contact our medical negligence experts if you need help in claiming compensation.