Most benefit seen for those taking the drug before their cancer diagnosis
FRIDAY, June 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who take low-dose aspirin may have better survival odds, according to a study published online May 31 the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The findings are based on records from 23,162 Norwegian adults. They were all diagnosed with CRC between 2004 and 2011. More than one-quarter were prescribed daily low-dose aspirin for more than six months after their diagnosis. And, most had been taking aspirin before their diagnosis.
The researchers found that, overall, 67.1 percent of aspirin users were still alive after about three years. That compared with 57.7 percent of nonusers. After adjustment for factors such as age, severity of cancer, and whether patients were taking other particular medications, the survival benefit for aspirin users remained. The benefit was concentrated among patients who’d been taking aspirin before their diagnosis: They were 23 percent less likely to die of CRC — and 14 percent less likely to die of any cause — than patients who did not use aspirin at all.
“Aspirin use after the diagnosis of CRC is independently associated with improved CRC-specific survival and overall survival,” the authors write.
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