Case-control study of aspirin use and risk of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Pancreas-cancer prognosis is dismal, with 5-year survival less than 5%. Significant relationships between aspirin use and decreased pancreas-cancer incidence and mortality have been shown in four of 13 studies.

METHODS:

To evaluate further a possible association between aspirin use and risk of pancreatic cancer, we used data from a population-based Connecticut study conducted from January 2005 to August 2009, of 362 pancreas-cancer cases frequency matched to 690 randomly sampled controls.

RESULTS:

Overall, regular use of aspirin was associated with reduced risk of pancreatic cancer [odds ratio (OR), 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39-0.69]. Increments of decreasing risk of pancreatic cancer were observed for each year of low-dose or regular-dose aspirin use (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.98 and OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.01, respectively) and for increasing years in the past that low-dose or regular-dose aspirin use had started (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99 and OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.00, respectively). Reduced risk of pancreatic cancer was seen in most categories of calendar time period of aspirin use, for both low-dose aspirin and regular-dose aspirin use. Relative to continuing use at the time of interview, termination of aspirin use within 2 years of interview was associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer (OR, 3.24; 95% CI, 1.58-6.65).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results provide some support that a daily aspirin regimen may reduce risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

IMPACT:

Long-term aspirin use has benefits for both cardiovascular disease and cancer, but appreciable bleeding complications that necessitate risk-benefit analysis for individual applications.

• Authors: Samantha A Streicher, Herbert Yu, Lingeng Lu, Mark S Kidd, Harvey A Risch
• Journal: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev) Vol. 23 Issue 7 Pg. 1254-63 (Jul 2014) ISSN: 1538-7755 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24969230 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
• Aspirin

Topics

• Aged
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal (therapeutic use)
• Aspirin (therapeutic use)
• Case-Control Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Incidence
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Odds Ratio
• Pancreatic Neoplasms (epidemiology)