Most of you know I read the newspaper (ok, three or four) every day. And, today (written 28 October), here was this article. Stunning- isn’t it? Well, forget the headline!
Yes, there was a study, under the direction of Dr. John Burn (Newcastle on Tyne University) with folks from 16 countries around the globe, that demonstrated a 60% decrease in colorectal cancer for those predisposed to “disease”. Which disease? Lynch Syndrome. How prevalent is it? 150 cases a year in the US, with some 19000 carriers of the genes. Now, given those facts- are you going to add aspirin to your daily regimen? (Please note that if you are taking baby aspirin to preclude heart attacks, that has no bearing on this question.)
Yes, the article goes on to say… “Many studies over the past two decades have suggested, but not proved, that taking aspirin helps protect against colorectal cancer…” And, this Lancet published study proved (or at least started to prove) that IF you are a carrier of the genes for Lynch Syndrome, a 600 mg daily dose may reduce your chance of getting colorectal cancer by 60%. And, the numbers that still got cancer were 18 of 427 (30 of 434, with the placebo) out of the total study census of 861. By the way, that 600 mg of aspirin is a pretty large dose.
Now, consider THIS fact. For every 1000 people taking aspirin for year , there will be one additional case of bleeding ulcers. And, that’s at the recommended dosage for heart treatment- the 81 mg dose, not the 600 mg dose employed here. Moreover, daily aspirin therapy increases the risk of brain bleeds- especially as we age.
So, please read the headlines- and study more. Then, call you physician. Don’t take aspirin every day without the recommendation of your practitioner!
Please note: This study was perfectly legitimate. Their journal title makes their intent clear: Long-term effect of aspirin
on cancer risk in carriers of hereditary colorectal cancer: an analysis from the CAPP2 randomised controlled trial. And, if you carry the Lynch Syndrome genes, you probably should run, not walk, to your physician to discuss this study. But, that is not most of us, as was implied by the newspaper headline.
This is a great perspective, Roy. Thanks for your thoughts. It’s interesting how often we read the headlines and fail to actually engage our minds and apply critical analysis to the data that we’re absorbing. Your analysis was clear and concise and really made a great point about how we consume information.
Steve:
This is among my largest complaints about the education system. We teach to a test. We provide multiple guess exams. We need to teach folks to read critically, to learn how to find data, and then choose among alternatives. That way we can stay informed for life!
Roy
Good advice Roy, people jump on the band wagon far to quickly and easily when they read things like this! Taking a high dose of medication without medical advice is foolish – lets hope people are listening to the voice of sense rather than reading and acting!
It’s beyond the level of medication, Sharon. It’s the fact that this study had a very narrow focus and the “news” didn’t bother to trasmit that crucial piece of data!
Roy
I am always amazed at how misleading some of these stories are and also adding hope where there may be none or creating fear where there shouldn’t be any. This is why it’s hard for me to read the news! Thank you for clarifying things! ~ Suerae
I sometimes wonder, Suerae, how the newspapers decide who is qualified to write certain pieces.
Roy
Ah, Roy, don’t get me started. 🙂 You know my love of survey and statistics. It’s like all the latest studies on women – have a mammogram -no wait – have a glass of wine – no don’t. And as a ghostwriter for healthcare (although not medical journals), there’s the problem of ghostwriters hired by pharmaceutical companies to write studies that appear in medical journals.
I’ll share with your readers the Mark Twain quote I shared with you at my blog – There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. And then there’s the cloak of darkness. 🙂
Cathy:
It’s the desire of the media to report scientific findings- which may be preliminary, which may be presented with caveats (which are not passed along), or which may confuse the reported. Hence, the merry go round…
Roy
They actually made this an important announcement on TV. They left out the number of people who the aspirin could make a difference for. Hum,
I am sure that the announcer was just reading the headlines from the Post. Such internecine twists. One bad report leads to multiple bad reports.
Thanks for the information, Ann.
Roy
And my mother who took aspirin every day instead of baby aspirin developed some pretty nasty stomach problems. I like the alternative health practitioners but good food and healthy living is so much better for you than any drugs or chemical substances
Yes, that is among the side-effects of aspirin. To some degree, I am lucky I am allergic. But, my doc is considering me taking a baby pill (prophylactic use). We are doing tests to see what my physiology thinks of this suggestion.
thanks for the comment.
Roy