You’ve probably heard that doctors often recommend daily aspirin to help prevent cardiovascular risks like heart attacks and stroke, but now for the first time, an expert panel is recommending the common drug to prevent colorectal cancer (USPSTF).
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Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for American adults, so it’s interesting that aspirin could be used to prevent both. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, causing about 50,000 deaths last year.
Some critics question such a sweeping recommendations, saying more widespread use of aspirin could do more harm than good. Already millions of people “take aspirin who shouldn’t,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, the chairman of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, who was part of a recent Food and Drug Administration review that concluded aspirin should not be used to prevent a first heart attack or stroke (FDA).
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Also, it’s important to note that if you doctor puts you on a daily low-dose aspirin regimen, it doesn’t mean you can forgo colonoscopies. You should still get regular screenings done.
But we might soon be hearing more about the preventative nature of aspirin. Dr. Eric Jacobs of the American Cancer Society said that there was also good evidence that aspirin may even lower the risk of esophageal cancer, and fairly good evidence it lowers stomach cancer risk. There is even some evidence it may slightly lower the risk of common cancers such as breast, prostate and lung cancer, though that evidence is too weak to draw conclusions.
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Curated article from The New York Times
