Aspirin found to improve survival in breast and bladder cancer patients

Older people with breast cancer or bladder cancer who take aspirin regularly live longer, a new study from the US claims.

For the study, which was made up of nearly 140,000 people aged 65 years or older who were tracked for up to 13 years, researchers looked at the effects of aspirin use on developing and surviving bladder, breast, oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and uterine cancers. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire to record their aspirin use.

While aspirin use was not associated with preventing cancers, the researchers found it was associated with increased bladder and breast cancer survival. However, survival was not increased by aspirin use in the other cancers investigated in the study. The findings were published in the online journal JAMA Network Open.

“Due to the recent controversy surrounding aspirin use in older adults, we decided to focus our investigation on older participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial,” the authors of the study said.

“Recent investigations in the PLCO population have demonstrated several associations between aspirin use and the risk of cancer incidence and survival. Among cancers screened as part of the trial protocol, aspirin use has been associated with significant reductions in risk of colorectal polyps and colorectal cancer; in contrast, there was modest to no association between aspirin use and prostate and ovarian incidence and survival.

“To our knowledge, no investigations into aspirin use and risk of bladder, breast, oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, or uterine cancers have been conducted in PLCO. With the high frequency of aspirin use, the substantial annual incidence of breast, bladder, and uterine cancers in the United States, and the noted association between aspirin use and gastrointestinal cancers (eg, oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic), we chose to perform a thorough investigation of the association between aspirin use and cancer risk and survival of these cancers in PLCO. We hypothesised that aspirin use would be associated with reduced risk of cancer incidence and increased cancer survival.”

The study authors noted that while their findings are promising, it’s important to also remember regular aspirin use can cause serious side effects in some people, so it’s best to speak with your doctor first.

In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for health professionals to suggest daily use of a low dose of aspirin – between 75 and 150mg per day – to prevent heart attacks and strokes, even for those not at risk of cardiovascular disease. Because aspirin is a blood thinner, it can stop the blood from clotting, which is important in preventing cardiovascular disease (because clots can cause blockages that can lead to heart attacks and strokes).

However, a study last year found that prolonged daily use of the drug increases the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding by at least 60 per cent in people aged 70 and over.

In addition to causing bleeding, other common side effects of aspirin can range from dizziness, drowsiness and nausea to abdominal pain, heartburn and diarrhoea.