Risk of ovarian cancer reduced by the use of low dose aspirin

Women who consume a low dose of aspirin each day are 23% less likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who do not, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers from the Moffitt Cancer Center, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. The research team, which analyzed data from more than 200,000 women in the health studies of nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital, indicates that the results showed that the protective effects of aspirin only seem to be obvious at low dose, and not at the standard dose,, the prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) without aspirin may increase the risk of cancer of the patient. ovary.

"We are not yet at the stage where we could recommend that the daily use of aspirin decreases the risk of ovarian cancer," said Shelley Tworoger, research director, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Population Science Research Center in Moffitt. more research. But it is clear that women should discuss this with their doctor. "

Report on their results in JAMA OncologyThe authors write: "To our knowledge, this prospective cohort study is among the first to evaluate in detail the associations between the type, timing, frequency, amount and duration of analgesic use. with the risk of ovarian cancer using regularly updated exposure information. Their article titled "Association Between The Use Of Analgesics And The Risk Of Ovarian Cancer In Nursing Health Studies".

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the United States, and increasing evidence suggests a role of inflammation in the development of the disease, write the authors. Previous case-control studies and prospective studies to determine whether regular use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or non-aspirin NSAIDs could have an effect on the cancer risk of cancer. Ovarian were mixed. In addition, the authors comment, "No prospective cohort study has had sufficient potency and sufficiently detailed exposure to assess whether timing and patterns of analgesic use are associated with risk. of ovarian cancer. "

Dr. Tworoger and colleagues prospectively analyzed data collected on the timing, frequency, dose, and duration of analgesic use among 9,364 women enrolled in the Nurses & Study Health Study (NHS) study. and 111834 women enrolled in the NHSII Nurses Study II) to investigate any relationship between the use of aspirin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and acetaminophen with ovarian cancer. Of 205498 women in both cohorts, 1054 cases of ovarian cancer were recorded during the study period, up to 30 years.

The researchers' data analyzes revealed no association between the current total use (at low dose and standard) of aspirin, the number of years of use of the drug. Aspirin or the average number of cumulative tablets per week and the risk of ovarian cancer. However, when the use of low-dose, standard-dose aspirin was evaluated separately over a five-year period, low-dose aspirin was associated with a 23 per cent reduction in ovarian cancer risk. compared to zero use. "… There was no association to the current use of standard dose aspirin," write the authors. Interestingly, the current use of non-aspirin NSAIDs was positively related to the risk of ovarian cancer, compared to non-use, and there was a significant association between regular NSAID use for more than 10 years and the risk of ovarian cancer, "although this finding may reflect unmeasured confusion. , They acknowledge. There was also what the authors call "a positive suggestion for association with the use of acetaminophen".

Earlier reports have suggested that aspirin could reduce the risk of cancer by reducing inflammation. And, while it is thought that the dose-response relationship between aspirin and colon cancer is thought to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis via the inhibition of cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) enzymes and COX-2, new findings regarding ovarian cancer have revealed no dose-response relationship, "suggesting that other mechanisms unique to low-dose aspirin (eg , the irreversible inhibition of platelet COX-1) could influence carcinogenesis by reducing platelet activation and recruitment ".

"These findings argue for a reduced risk of ovarian cancer in low-dose aspirin users, although the association between other non-inflammatory drugs is Steroidal and ovarian cancer may be more complex, "the authors conclude. "Further research is needed to evaluate the mechanisms by which the intensive use of aspirin, non-aspirin NSAIDs and acetaminophen could contribute to the development of ovarian cancer." and replicate our results. "