Does a Low-Dose Aspirin a Day Keep the Doctor away?

STUDIES SHOW…

A 2017 observational study looked at over 13,000 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal tract cancers between 1998 and 2011 and assessed the association between aspirin usage after diagnosis and overall patient survival.

Overall, the adjusted hazard ratio for aspirin users vs. non-users was 0.52, and a significant association was observed for patients with oesophageal, hepatobiliary, colon and rectal cancers.

Study Conclusion

Post-diagnosis use of aspirin in patients with rectal cancer is associated with a significantly increased rate of survival.

Widely Reported Benefits Historically

There have been an hundreds if not thousands of studies connecting aspirin usage with reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancers or improved survival for patients who are already diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancers. Most prevalent among these studies seems to be in colorectal cancer and most particularly in relation to the reduced risk of carcinogenesis.

In this particular study, the results suggested that there were survival benefits across all of the studied gastrointestinal cancers, and this benefit was seen most particularly in the reduction in risk of negative outcomes for patients with rectal cancer in particular.

Opposing Studies Suggest

Conversely, there are many studies that imply little to no effect from aspirin usage. Or in others, that the benefits are not worth the risk of gastric bleeding.

Very recently, a study reported on by many national media outlets stated “Daily aspirin may be harmful for healthy older adults” with a subtitle: “No detectable benefit was seen from regular use of low-dose aspirin for people 70 and older who don’t have heart disease, researchers say.”

It is important to take notice of the qualifiers of “healthy” and “older adults”. While there are clearly side effects to watch out for, this study was for elderly individuals only, and there may be confounding factors that need to be considered when evaluating the risks of low dose aspirin.

Our Opinion

As always, we’re not doctors, and this subject is more challenging to offer a crystal clear opinion without major caveats thrown in than in previous postings. While the benefits found in the 2017 study were astounding and a Relative Risk of 0.25 was indeed significant for rectal cancers for aspirin users as compared to non-users, it is warranted for risk averse individuals to put additional thought to it. I suspect there will be future posts on this topic which explore the positives and negatives more expansively. Stay tuned!

Love Your Buns is a non-profit initiative aiming to remove stigma and improve awareness around rectal cancer, its prevalence and its symptoms. A growing epidemic in young adults, rectal cancer is easy to remove if caught early, however due to a variety of reasons, young adults are not likely to seek screening options like colonoscopies. This gap in screening is leading to more advanced disease at diagnosis and more challenging and strenuous treatment. We're working to Educate young adults to increase awareness of the signs and increasing prevalence of Rectal Cancer and to Empower informed decision making and Improve quality of life in Survivorship.
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