Regular aspirin use ‘can fight off cancer’

Long-term use of aspirin by healthy people significantly reduces the risk of developing major cancers, mostly affecting the digestive tract, and dying from them.

If everyone in Britain aged 50 to 64 took aspirin for 10 years, an estimated 130,357 cancer deaths could be avoided over two decades, the study found. A further 9,473 fatal heart attacks would also be prevented. On the other side of the equation, population-wide aspirin use would be expected to cause just under 18,000 deaths over 20 years, mainly due to internal bleeding and strokes.

However, the scientists believe the scales are tipped firmly towards aspirin when weighing up the risks and benefits of the drug.