Regular Aspirin use reduces the risk of cancer death: News from AACR annual meeting.

courtesy:corbis 

Long term, regular use of aspirin cut down the death rate in several types of cancers, according to an observational study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research(AACR) 2017 Annual Meeting, April 1-5.

The overall mortality rate was 7% lower in women and 11% lower for men in aspirin users and cancer mortality rate was 7% lower for women and 15% lower for men.

The researchers did a follow-up of 130,183 health professionals consisting of 86,206 women who were participants in the Nurses’ Health Study between 1980 and 2012, and 43,977 men who were recruited in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study from 1986 to 2012.

The cohort was followed up for 32 years with aspirin use assessed at baseline and thereafter every two years.

During the follow up period 25% women and 33% men died, of which 37.5% women and 31% men’s death were because of cancer.

The strongest reduction in deaths were observed in colorectal cancer, with the relative risk lowered by 31% for women and 30% for men. Men who took aspirin regularly also had 23% lower relative risk of mortality due to prostate cancer, while women had 11% lower risk of dying from breast cancer.

Aspirin was beneficial in standard dose of .5 to 7 tablets per week, with a minimum of 6 years for reaping the benefits of lower mortality in cancer.

The USPSTF recommends “Initiating low-dose aspirin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) in adults aged 50 to 59 years who have a 10% or greater 10-year CVD risk, are not at increased risk for bleeding, have a life expectancy of at least 10 years, and are willing to take low-dose aspirin daily for at least 10 years.”

The study’s lead author, Yin Cao said “These findings suggest that aspirin’s established benefits in cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer reduction may extend to other common causes of death, including several major cancers. She said that while the study supports the long-term use of aspirin, patients and physicians should consider all potential benefits and risks, as well as individual health factors, when considering whether a patient should routinely take aspirin.”

“We need to conduct additional work to balance these benefits against the harms of use, such as gastrointestinal tract bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke,” she said.

The study’s observational design was a limiting factor making it less definitive than results of randomized trial.