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Use of low-dose aspirin is associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, results from a cohort study published in JAMA Oncology (online, 4 October 2018) have shown[1]
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The research used data from the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II, which followed 93,664 adult women from 1980–2014 and 111,834 from 1989–2015, respectively. Analgesic use was recorded every two to four years.
The data showed that while there was no overall association between any aspirin use and ovarian cancer incidence, current low-dose aspirin (≤100mg) use was associated with a 23% reduction in the risk of ovarian cancer compared with non-use.
The study results also showed that use of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was associated with a 19% increase in the risk of ovarian cancer compared with non-use. However, the researchers said this finding required confirmation.
The authors also noted that previous research into the association between aspirin and ovarian cancer had provided inconsistent results.
“Our findings emphasise that research on aspirin use and cancer risk must consider aspirin dose,” said lead author Mollie Barnard from the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah.
“Our results also highlight the need for ongoing conversations between patients and their doctors on the risks and benefits of taking low-dose aspirin.”
References
[1] Barnard M, Poole E, Curhan G et al. Association of analgesic use with risk of ovarian cancer in the nurses’ health studies. JAMA Oncology; 2018. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.4149
