????據BBC報道，英國開啟了史上規模最大的一次臨床試驗。這場試驗大約有1.1萬名早期癌癥患者參與。其目的在于測試每日服用一定劑量的阿司匹林能否防止癌癥復發。沒錯，測試對象就是世界上最常見的藥物阿司匹林。

????科學家們表示，如果試驗證實阿司匹林能夠抑制癌癥，那將給癌癥治療帶來革命性的變化。隨著癌癥藥物的價格越來越高，延長癌癥患者壽命的代價變得日益昂貴。與此同時，患者只需要花幾美元便可以從藥店買到阿司匹林。

????這項實驗的主持者，倫敦大學學院醫學研究委員會臨床實驗室首席研究員魯斯·蘭利教授表示：“一項有趣的調查發現，阿司匹林可以延遲或防止初期癌癥復發，但一直沒有隨機試驗能夠提供確切的證據。此次臨床試驗便是為這個問題找到最終的答案。”

????阿司匹林最初被用作止痛藥，但科學家們也發現它具有減少中風和心臟病風險的療效。

????在研究過程中，部分患者將在5年內每天服用一片阿司匹林。三分之一的患者將服用一片安慰劑藥丸，另外三分之二平均分為兩組，每天分別服用較大劑量和較小劑量的阿司匹林。這項試驗將持續12年，短期內不會有確切的答案。（財富中文網）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????審校：任文科

????In the United Kingdom, the world’s largest clinical trial, involving about 11,000 people who have early-stage cancer, has just begun, according to the BBC. The goal? Finding out if a daily dose of aspirin, one of the world’s most common pharmaceuticals, can prevent a recurrence of cancer.

????If the trial determines that aspirin does keep cancer at bay, the finding would be a game-changer for cancer treatment, scientists say. As cancer drug prices rise ever-higher, extending the longevity of those facing the disease is an increasingly expensive endeavor. Aspirin, meanwhile, is available at drugstores for a few dollars.

????“There’s been some interesting research suggesting that aspirin could delay or stop early stage cancers coming back, but there’s been no randomised trial to give clear proof,”said Professor Ruth Langley, chief investigator for the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, where the trial is based, “This trial aims to answer this question once and for all.”

????Aspirin was initially developed as a painkiller, but scientists have also discovered its ability to reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

????Over the course of the study, some patients will take an aspirin dose every day for five years. One-third of the patients will take a placebo pill, and the other two equal groups will take high and low doses of aspirin each day. The trial will last up to twelve years, so don’t expect any definitive answers soon.