Media release

From: The Royal Society

Aspirin increases survival in cancer?

• Cancer and aspirin – Does aspirin increase survival in cancer patients? This review of studies on biological mechanisms and clinical outcomes suggests an “overall positive effect” on survival and reductions in cancer spread. This outweighs “the smaller associated side-effects” like aspirin-related bleeds. Research is needed to understand the scale and variability of any effect, but should be conducted “with a high degree of confidence that aspirin is a relatively safe drug”, the authors said.

There is extensive evidence suggesting benefit from aspirin in preventing cancer growth and metastatic spread. Evidence on biological mechanisms include reductions by aspirin in cancer-related inflammation, abnormal clotting, abnormal blood vessel growth, and enhancement in cellular repair processes. Evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies show an association between aspirin and reductions in cancer-related deaths, the spread and the vascular complications of cancer. Although aspirin increases the number of bleeds, the severity of bleeds attributable to aspirin is low. Aspirin appears therefore to benefit a wide range of cancers, suggesting an overall positive effect which outweighs the much smaller associated side-effects.