Does Aspirin Help Prevent Liver Cancer?

Take two aspirins and reduce your risk of liver cancer? New research suggests this weekly routine might help.

The researchers found that taking two or more standard-dose (325 milligram) pills a week was associated with a 49 percent lower risk of liver cancer.

"Regular use of aspirin led to significantly lower risk of developing [liver cancer], compared to infrequent or no aspirin use. And we also found that the risk declined progressively with increasing aspirin dose and duration of use," said lead study author Dr. Tracey Simon. She's a research fellow in gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

It should be noted, however, that the study did not prove that aspirin reduced liver cause risk, just that there was an association.

For the study, researchers analyzed long-term data from more than 45,800 women and 87,500 men in the United States.

The investigators reported that aspirin's protective effect increased over time. Risk of liver cancer was 59 percent lower among those who took aspirin regularly for five years or more.

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