Aspirin 'cuts prostate cancer risk by 30%': A tablet a day helps stop killer tumours forming

Men who take a low dose of aspirin every day could cut their risk of developing prostate cancer by almost 30 per cent, research shows.

A 75mg tablet taken on a daily basis has a powerful protective effect against the disease, according to scientists.

The painkiller appears to work by blocking the effect of enzymes which cause inf lammation thought to be a key factor in the development of prostate cancer.

The study, by specialists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, is the latest in long line of investigations into whether aspirin can help prevent prostate tumours from forming.

It examined and compared two groups of men – 1,001 prostate cancer sufferers and 942 cancerfree volunteers of a similar age.

When the experts looked at how often men in both groups took aspirin, they found higher usage among the cancer-free volunteers.

Men who had used aspirin at any point in the previous 12 months were 21 per cent less likely to develop a tumour.

Those who had taken aspirin frequently for five years or more saw a 24 per cent decline in risk. But the biggest benef its appeared to be among those regularly taking a low daily dose of 75mg.

Among this group, the chances of developing prostate cancer dropped by 29 per cent.

Other pain-killing medications similar to aspirin, which are known as non- steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, did not have the same effect.

Nearly 32,000 cases a year are diagnosed. The risks increase with age, with men aged over 50 more likely to develop a prostate tumour, and there is also a strong genetic link. 

The anti-cancer effects of Aspirin are thought to occur primarily-through the direct inhibition-of enzymes called PTGS1 and PTGS2.’

Although doctors often recommend a low daily dose to heart disease patients to help thin the blood and reduce the risk of clots, some studies suggest that even taking small amounts can increase the chances of stomach bleeding.

Regular use of aspirin has already been linked to a lower risk of other types of cancers. A 2007 study at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found that, as well as prostate cancer, the risk of developing breast, ovarian and lung cancer was slashed by taking aspirin several times a week.

A common skin cancer was 90 per cent less likely among regular aspirin users, it found.

ASPIRIN has been found to be a wonder drug in the treatment of or lowering the risk of stroks, cancers (prostate cancer, risk of developing breast, ovarian, lung and skin cancers), pain and arthritis.