Aspirin 'may double life expectancy of cancer patients'

Study of 14,000 people with cancer in gastrointestinal tract finds regular users of drug twice as likely to be alive after four years

A daily dose of aspirin can double the life expectancy of patients with cancers affecting the gastrointestinal tract, according to a study.

It was already known that that frequent use of aspirin can prevent bowel cancer, but the most recent study also suggests that men and women with a range of cancers who take the anti-inflammatory painkiller experience a significant survival benefit compared with those who do not.