Aspirin May Increase Risk of Cancer in Older Adults

Nov, 2020 - by CMI

In general, aspirin use was linked with a 22% reduction for pancreatic cancer, 27% in colorectal cancer, and 36% in stomach cancer.

According to new research, older adults who took low-dose of aspirin a day are at higher risk of developing advanced cancers and dying from cancer than those who took a placebo. The results raise the likelihood that aspirin may increase the risk of cancer or worsen them once they developed in this age group. In recent years, several previous studies have suggested that a daily, low-dose of aspirin could help protect older individuals from cancer, cognitive decline, and dementia.

Health experts have been recommending low-dose aspirin for several individuals to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease. Moreover, some clinical trials have found that aspirin may reduce the risk of cancer in middle-aged adults, especially colorectal cancer. The research originally published in March 2020 suggests that consuming a low-dose of aspirin a day does not reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment, as well as it does not slow the cognitive decline rate. The new research examined the same cohort, reports that daily aspirin increases the risk of cancer and the diagnosis of advanced cancer.

The research was published in the National Cancer Institute Journal. The team examined around 19,114 individuals living in the United States and Australia, none of them had a physical disability, dementia, or cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. The team found that around 981 individuals who took aspirin and around 952 who took placebo developed cancer. Moreover, individuals who took aspirin daily had a 19% higher risk of developing metastatic cancer and a 22% greater risk of receiving a diagnosis of advanced cancer. The results also showed that those who took aspirin were at a greater risk of dying due to advanced cancer during the follow-up period.