GearBits

Aspirin Up for Canonization

Well, if it isn't, it should be, with the number of miracle cures being attributed to it. Aspirin is already being used by millions to relieve headaches, the pain of arthritis and as a preventative to heart attacks and stroke.

Now comes a report that a major clinical study is being launched to see if aspirin can protect against certain cancers.

The trial will focus on the action of aspirin against a condition known as Barrett's oesophagus, which is a pre-condition to cancer of the esophagus.

It will involve 5,000 subjects and last 10 years. Cancer Research UK, which is funding the study, believes successful treatment of the pre-condition could prevent up to 50 per cent of cases of cancer in the trial.

Researchers are hypothesizing that aspirin may cut cancer risk by affecting an enzyme called cyclooxegenase-2, which causes inflammation and is also linked to cancer development.