Aspirin use tied to longer bladder, breast cancer survival

(HealthDay)—Aspirin use may improve survival for bladder and breast cancer, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Holli A. Loomans-Kropp, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues investigated the association of aspirin use with the risk for developing new cancers, as well as site-specific cancer-associated survival for bladder, breast, esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and uterine cancers. The analysis included 139,896 individuals (mean age, 66.4 years) participating in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (1993 to 2001).

The researchers found that aspirin use was not associated with the incidence of any studied cancer type. Aspirin use at least three times/week was associated with increased survival among patients with bladder (hazard ratio, 0.67) and breast (hazard ratio, 0.75) cancers. However, there was no survival benefit with esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, or uterine cancer. A similar association for bladder and breast cancer was seen for any aspirin use (hazard ratios, 0.75 and 0.79, respectively).

"The results presented here add to the accumulating evidence that aspirin may improve survival for some cancers," the authors write.

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