Over the years, aspirin has been used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains or as an anti-inflammatory medication. According to a recent study, using Aspirin at least once per month may lower the risk of pancreatic cancer. People who consume the above stated analgesic will reportedly develop fewer chances of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
From Xiang-Lin Tan’s perspective, the findings from this large collaborative study are preliminary and sidestep from persuading widespread use of aspirin for this purpose. The recently conducted study comprised 90 patients who had documented pancreatic cancer and compared them with 1, 224 healthy patients.
Patients who were involved were at least 55 years old and shed light on their use of aspirin, NSAIDs and acetaminophen by questionnaire. Apparently, patients who consumed the anti-inflammatory medication for at least one day during a month revealed a 6 percent decreased risk of pancreatic cancer. These results were eventually compared with people who didn’t take aspirin on a regular basis.
“The results are not meant to suggest everyone should start taking aspirin once monthly to reduce their risk of pancreatic cancer,†shared Xiang-Lin Tan, Ph.D., M.D., a research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “Individuals should discuss use of aspirin with their physicians because the drug carries some side effects.â€
Besides this, the analysis pointed out that people who took low-dose aspirin for heart disease prevention were at 35 percent lower risk. However, investigators did not observe any positive effect from non-aspirin NSAIDs or acetaminophen.
“This provides additional evidence that aspirin may have chemoprevention activity against pancreatic cancer,†added Tan.
The research suggests more data be gathered before proving a real benefit. The study was presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held from April 2 to 6, 2011.