NCI scientists found that a daily aspirin regimen may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, but say further research is needed before clinical recommendations can be made.
Previous studies have suggested that the anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin and non-aspirin NSAIDs may reduce cancer risk overall, however, studies examining whether use of these agents may influence ovarian cancer risk have been largely inconclusive. The study, published in JNCI, is the largest to date to assess the relationship between these drugs and ovarian cancer risk.
Researchers analyzed data pooled from 12 large epidemiological studies to investigate whether women who used aspirin, non-aspirin NSAIDs, or acetaminophen have a lower risk of ovarian cancer. These 12 studies (nine from the U.S.) were part of the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. The researchers evaluated the benefit of these drugs in nearly 8,000 women with ovarian cancer and close to 12,000 women who did not have the disease.
Among study participants who reported whether or not they used aspirin regularly, 18 percent used aspirin, 24 percent used non-aspirin NSAIDs, and 16 percent used acetaminophen.
The researchers determined that participants who reported daily aspirin use had a 20-percent-lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who used aspirin less than once per week.
For non-aspirin NSAIDs, which include a wide variety of drugs, the picture was less clear: the scientists observed a 10-percent-lower ovarian cancer risk among women who used NSAIDs at least once per week compared with those who used NSAIDs less frequently. However, this finding did not fall in a range that was significant statistically.
In contrast to the findings for aspirin and NSAIDs, use of acetaminophen, which is not an anti-inflammatory agent, was not associated with reduced ovarian cancer risk.
Adverse side effects of daily aspirin use include upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, a daily aspirin regimen should only be undertaken with a doctor’s approval, caution the scientists.
