NEW research has found no effect on overall cancer incidence among healthy older adults who took a low-dose of aspirin daily, but there was an increased risk of cancer-related mortality.
Conducted by Monash University and published in JAMA Oncology, the results vary from previous research, mainly in middle-aged adults, where taking daily aspirin was found to reduce the risk of cancer after 10 years, particularly for colorectal cancer (PD 20 Jul 2023).
The study involved over 19,000 Australian and American adults predominantly aged 70 years or over, who received either 100mg of aspirin daily or a placebo for 4.7 years.
First author Associate Professor Suzanne Orchard said that during a median follow-up period of 8.6 years, there was no difference in cancer incidence between the two groups.
"Whilst we found overall no change in cancer incidence risk with aspirin when initiated in older age, we found cancer mortality remained significantly elevated by 15%", Assoc Prof Orchard explained.
However, after the participants stopped taking aspirin, the increased cancer mortality risk did not persist, suggesting there was no lasting effect
"From these findings, commencing a program of low-dose aspirin for a number of years for the prevention of cancer is not recommended in older adults," she concluded.
"Individuals who are concerned about their cancer risk should speak to their doctors about the right strategy for their individual health care," she added.
The paper is available HERE. KB
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