A new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomakers & Prevention has uncovered compelling evidence that taking low dosages of aspirin daily may reduce the risks of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer has a dismal survival rate, as mentioned by the study (a 93% fatality rate, according to the National Cancer Institute), and focusing on prevention may save quite a few lives. Approximately 40,000 people will die of pancreatic cancer in the next year, according to NCI.
It's also promising that this study has other research backing it up. The study notes that four of 13 studies show a significant relationship between aspirin use and decreased pancreas-cancer incidence and death rate.
Dr. Harvey Risch, the senior author of the study, said that although in some cases, the risk of taking aspirin everyday would outweigh the benefit in pancreatic cancer, "for the small numbers of people with strong family histories of pancreatic cancer or who otherwise have been evaluated to be at increased risk of pancreatic cancer, aspirin use could be part of a regimen designed to reduce their risk."
Daily low-dose aspirin has already been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease. Doctors recommend taking a daily low-dose aspirin for anyone with a risk factor for heart disease. If we can now add pancreatic cancer to that list, baby aspirin may end up saving many lives every year.
In the study, researchers compared aspirin use in 362 pancreatic cancer patients with 690 randomly chosen controls. Participants were asked about past and present regular use of aspirin, defined as at least once a week for three months. The study followed participants over the course of five years.
The researchers found that regular aspirin use lowered the risk for pancreatic cancer by 48 percent, even after controlling for variables such as age, race, and socio-economic status. The study also found that those who had been using aspirin for seven to 20 years had a greater drop in risk than those who had only been using it for one to three years. Those who had stopped using aspirin in the last two years were found to have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Risch is still unclear why aspirin might have this effect on pancreatic cancer. No one should take aspirin every day in the hopes to lower their risk of cancer, Dr. Eric Jacob of the American Cancer Society told WebMD. "The link between aspirin use, particularly low-dose aspirin use, and lower risk of pancreatic cancer observed in this study is intriguing," but not proven, he said.
However, if you come from a family with a strong risk of pancreatic cancer, this may be very good news for you.
