Name: Sameeha

Current Event Posting #3

Topic: Health

Title of Article: Closer to using aspirin for cancer prevention

Author: Madison Park

Publication Name: CNN

Date of Publication: April 10, 2012

Length of Article: 1 page

Recent reports show that we are getting closer to using aspirin as part of clinical guidelines in cancer prevention. In the past, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended an aspirin regimen for some patients in order to prevent heart problems and reduce the risk of strokes, however an aspirin regimen hasn't been used for cancer prevention before. Studies show that aspirin can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and colorectal polyps but it can also increase the risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Aspirin can actually increase bleeding because it decreases the amount of clotting that occurs in the bloodstream and anyone with bleeding problems, like hemophilia, should not take it. Doctors have also warned that aspirins should not be given to children under the age of two because there is a possible link of aspirin to Reye's syndrome. Michael Thun, vice president emeritus of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society, wrote that "daily aspirin at doses of 75 mg and above might lower both overall cancer incidence and overall cancer mortality." In a recent study conducted by Dr. Peter M. Rothwell, researchers saw a 20% decrease in cancer incidence in patients between three to five years of the aspirin regimen and a 30% decrease after five or more years. The researchers also found that the amount of cancer deaths among aspirin users reduced from 664 deaths to 562 deaths. Scientists have discovered that this aspirin treatment is only successful at reducing risk of cancer at low doses of 75-160 mg; anything higher than this is not effective. The mechanism by which the aspirin works to reduce the risk of cancer isn't entirely understood by scientists but they think that aspirin helps the body cut off blood supply to cancer growths, preventing them from spreading.

Because aspirin is capable of preventing heart problems, strokes, and possibly cancer, it has been called a miracle drug and a wonder drug. More than one-third of all adults and four-fifths of people with heart disease have been on the aspirin regimen for many years and this number will grow as more and more evidence is found of aspirin's capability to prevent some cancers. Some people are skeptical that taking aspirin, which isn't as powerful as more popular painkillers like Advil and Tylenol, won't be effective. But, aspirin contains special chemicals that Tylenol and Advil don't have that can guard our bodies against diseases like cancer. Doctors are eagerly waiting for more results about aspirins and their ability to prevent some cancers so that they can recommend taking small doses of aspirin to patients as a daily regimen and greatly lower the number of people who die of cancer each year.