Aspirin May Accelerate Progression of Advanced Cancers in Older Adults

A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that aspirin may elevate the risk among older adults with advanced cancer for disease progression and early death, reports EurekAlert . The ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly trial included 19,114 Australian and U.S. community-dwelling participants aged 70 and up without cardiovascular disease, dementia, or physical disability. They were randomized to 100 daily milligrams of aspirin or placebo and monitored for a median of 4.7 years. The researchers reported that 981 participants taking aspirin and 952 taking placebo developed cancer. No statistically significant difference between the groups was observed for overall or specific cancer development. Aspirin was associated with a 19 percent higher risk of diagnosis of cancer that had metastasized, and a 22 percent higher risk of diagnosed stage 4 cancer. Moreover, participants diagnosed with advanced cancer who took aspirin were at higher risk of dying during follow-up than those on placebo. "Deaths were particularly high among those on aspirin who were diagnosed with advanced solid cancers, suggesting a possible adverse effect of aspirin on the growth of cancers once they have already developed in older adults," said Harvard Medical School Professor Andrew T. Chan.