A new study by British medical researchers indicates that taking a daily dose of aspirin reduces the long-term risk of bowel cancer in people with a family history of the disease by around 60%.
Scientists believe the finding could also have implications for the wider population, however further research is needed to determine an ideal dose for different groups of people.
The study, called CAPP2, provides the most definitive evidence yet of aspirin's anti-cancer properties.
It focused on patients with Lynch Syndrome, a genetic fault that strongly predisposes people to bowel cancer and a number of other solid organ cancers.
Aspirin is known to raise the risk of internal bleeding and stomach ulcers, as well as certain kinds of stroke.
But according to the study published in the Lancet medical journal, researchers believe it could be a risk worth taking for people with a high cancer susceptibility.
Newcastle University Professor of Clinical Genetics, Sir John Burn, who led the research team, said the evidence " seems overwhelmingly strong".
