Past studies have indicated using aspirin can sufficiently reduce cancer mortality and has been associated to a lower risk of developing several types of cancer including prostate and esophageal. Adding to the list of aspirin and reduced cancers is now liver cancer.
According to Dr. VirSahasrabuddhe, MBBS,MPH, DrPH, Associate Investigator to the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and colleagues aspirin users showed a 41% reduced risk for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) and 45% reduced risk of death from chronic liver disease.
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) have been demonstrated to reduce chronic inflammation in many cancers but their effect on liver cancer and dying from chronic liver disease has not been examined according to the study’s abstract.
For the study researchers examined data on 300,504 men and women aged 50 to 71 years, who were enrolled in the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study cohort and followed for ten to twelve years. All participants had self-reported their use of aspirin and NSAIDs during the study period.
NSAIDs are the most prescribed medications for treating conditions such as arthritis and include over-the-counter drugs such as Aleve, Motrin and Advil.
Researchers were able to associated NSAID usage information from self-reports to registry-confirmed diagnosis of 250 cases of liver cancer and 428 cases of chronic liver disease.
When researchers analyzed the associations they had found those participants that had taken aspirin had a 41% reduced risk for the development of liver cancer and 45% reduced risk of dying from chronic liver disease however; those who had taken NSAIDs (non-aspirin) had shown only a 26% reduced risk of dying from liver disease and when it came to liver cancer researchers found no significant protection against liver cancer.
According to researchers the risk estimates did not vary in statistical significance by frequency (daily, weekly, monthly). However, they did find a statistically significant reduced risk of death from chronic liver disease only among those who used non-aspirin NSAIDs monthly.
In their conclusion researchers had written “Aspirin use was associated with reduced risk of developing HCC and of death due to CLD whereas non-aspirin NSAID use was only associated with reduced risk of death due to CLD.”
The cohort came from six states; California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania and had included the metropolitan areas of Atlanta and Detroit.
Among those in this study 73% were aspirin users and 56% used non-aspirin NSAIDs.
The researchers had concluded “Aspirin, in particular, when used exclusively or with other non-aspirin NSAIDs showed a consistent protective effect related to both HCC [hepatocellular carcinoma] incidence and CLD [chronic liver disease] mortality, regardless of the frequency or exclusivity of use.”
If confirmed, these associations with the use of aspirin “might open new vistas for chemoprevention of HCC and CLD.”
This study appears online in the November 28th issue of JNCI, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for primary liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer in the United States are for 2012:
About 28,720 new cases (21,370 in men and 7,350 in women) will be diagnosed
About 20,550 people (13,980 men and 6,570 women) will die of these cancers
The average age at diagnosis of liver cancer is 62. More than 90% of people diagnosed with liver cancer are older than 45 years of age. About 3% are between 35 and 44 years of age and less than 3% are younger than 35.
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