Boston Hospitals Will Study Effects Of Aspirin On Breast Cancer Recurrence
BOSTON (CBS) - You've probably heard that an aspirin a day can help prevent heart attacks in some patients, but now doctors in Boston are looking into whether it can treat cancer.
Previous studies suggest that when women take aspirin regularly they have a 50% lower risk of recurrence and death, but before cause and effect can be established, a clinical trial should be performed.
Now two local hospitals, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute have received a $10 million award from the Department of Defense to do just that.
Researchers will recruit 3,000 women with stage II and stage III breast cancer. Half will receive aspirin. Half will receive a placebo.
If the findings are confirmed and aspirin proves beneficial, it could be added to chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for many women with breast cancer and according to experts, could end up saving 10,000 lives a year in the United States alone.
Aspirin can cause bleeding problems and stomach ulcers so it's not for everyone, but for many it could be a very cheap and effective therapy.