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Low-dose aspirin use associated with reduced risk for colorectal cancer
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A daily, low-dose aspirin regimen among adults, many at high risk for cardiovascular disease, reduced their risk for colorectal cancer by 50% in a recent study.
In a nationwide population-based hybrid study, researchers in Taiwan drew data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance database on low-dose aspirin use and incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). Aspirin users (n=1,985) were aged 20 years or older (57.2% men) and reported taking low doses of the drug (50 mg/day to 150 mg/day) for at least 3.5 years from 1998 to 2002. The cohort was matched by age, gender and known cardiovascular disease risk factors, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, with 7,940 aspirin nonusers.
During follow-up — which ended in 2010 or upon CRC diagnosis or death —14 aspirin users and 129 nonusers developed CRC. Aspirin users, who took the drug for a mean of 8.7 years, had a CRC incidence rate of 79.42 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI, 37.82-121.01), while the rate was 180.43 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI, 149.29-211.56) for nonusers.
In univariate analysis, aspirin users displayed a significantly reduced risk for CRC (unadjusted HR=0.44; 95% CI, 0.26-0.77) compared with aspirin nonusers. Using a Cox proportional hazards model, multivariate-adjusted HR for CRC was 0.5 (95% CI, 0.28-0.87) among those taking aspirin.
Investigators said study limitations included a lack of data on history of IBD, BMI, smoking and alcohol use, along with family history of CRC.
“Our findings suggest that regular use of low-dose aspirin for at least 3.5 years was associated with a 50% reduced risk of CRC in patients at high cardiovascular disease risk after adjustments for potential confounding factors like age, gender and underlying comorbidities,” the researchers concluded. “Further large-scale randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm these findings.”
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