According to a new study, aspirin could help reduce the growth of cancer within the body.

After reviewing 118 research studies, Professor Peter Elwood and his team from Cardiff University said there is “a considerable body of evidence” to suggest that painkillers ‘greatly reduce the risk of death’ in cancer patients.

“Aspirin, therefore, appears to deserve serious consideration as an adjuvant treatment of cancer,” said Elwood.

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“Patients with cancer and their carers should be informed of the available evidence.”

Elwood’s research included 18 patients with different kinds of cancer, with the results showing that aspirin could be helpful in controlling all of them.

“There is now a considerable body of evidence to suggest a significant reduction in mortality in patients with cancer who take aspirin,” said Elwood.

“And that benefit appears to not be restricted to one or a few cancers,” Elwood stressed.

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The results of study showed that in 250,000 cancer patients who reported having aspirin, their risk of dying from cancer was redueced to about 20 per cent than those who didn’t take aspirin.

As being an observational study, it can’t prove causes and effects, meaning the research doesn’t prove that aspirin directly prevents cancer from spreading.

However, the study does justify aspirin’s use “as an adjunct treatment in a wide range of cancers”.

“We must also stress that aspirin is not a possible alternative to any other treatment,” Elwood warned.

One main side effect of taking aspirin is the risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal system.

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Thus the scientists of the research requested additional information on the side effects experienced by cancer patients taking aspirin.

As it was expected, the frequency of bleeding did increase with cancer patients who were taking aspirin.

However, “fatal bleeding was rare and no author reported a significant excess in fatal bleeds associated with aspirin”.

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With more than 200 known cancers, Elwood believes research into some of the lesser-known cancers would also be beneficial.

Image Credit: Getty