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Daily aspirin increases chance of gastrointestinal cancer survival
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Twice as many patients with gastrointestinal cancers who took daily aspirin post-diagnosis survived compared with nonusers, according to findings from a large study conducted in The Netherlands and presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology’s European Cancer Congress.
Although aspirin has been evaluated for the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, this study marks the first time researchers studied survival data from patients with tumors in different gastrointestinal regions. The results may lead to new insight regarding the use of aspirin in the treatment of various gastrointestinal cancers, according to the researchers.
“If aspirin can become a regular treatment for cancer, it can have a large impact on cancer survival and global health,” Martine Frouws, MD, of the department of surgical oncology at Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, said at a press conference that was made available online.
Frouws and colleagues analyzed data from 13,715 patients who had been diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer in The Netherlands between 1998 and 2011. The population included patients with colon cancer (42.8%), rectal cancer (24.9%) and esophageal cancer (10.2%).
Overall, 8.3% of the patients used aspirin following their diagnosis, 30.5% of patients had used aspirin pre-diagnosis, and 61.1% did not use aspirin.
Median follow-up was 48.6 months.
Seventy-five percent of patients who took aspirin following their diagnosed achieved 5-year OS compared with 42% of nonusers.
The survival benefit persisted in all analyzed gastrointestinal cancers; however, the benefit was nonexistent among patients with pancreatic cancer, Frouws said.
The researchers are conducting a randomized controlled phase 3 trial to compare aspirin vs. placebo among patients with stage II to stage III colon cancer. OS at 5 years will serve as the primary outcome measure and secondary outcomes focus on disease recurrence.
“Aspirin may serve as the magic bullet because it can target ischemic heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, the three major health catastrophes of the third millennium,” Nadir Arber, MD, head of the integrated cancer prevention center at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel, said in a press release. “Frouws and her colleagues tell us that not only can aspirin prevent disease, but low-dose aspirin is important as an adjunct therapy for gastrointestinal cancers.” – by Anthony SanFilippo
For more information: Frouws M, et al. Abstract #2306. Presented at: European Cancer Congress; Sept. 25-29, 2015; Vienna.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.