Low dose of aspirin may reduce ovarian cancer risk

Women who take a regular low dose of aspirin have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer when compared with women who do not regularly take the painkiller, according to new research.

The US study also found that long-term heavy use of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – such as ibuprofen and high-dose aspirin – may be associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

The research, published in JAMA Oncology, found women who reported recent, regular use of low-dose aspirin (100mg or less) had a 23% lower risk of developing ovarian cancer when compared with women who did not regularly take it.

They said many people take a daily low-dose aspirin for heart disease prevention.

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in females in the UK, with around 7,400 new cases every year.

Mollie Barnard, who led the research while a doctoral student at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, said: “What really differentiated this study from prior work was that we were able to analyse low-dose aspirin separately from standard dose aspirin.

“Our findings emphasise that research on aspirin use and cancer risk must consider aspirin dose.

“Our results also highlight the need for ongoing conversations between patients and their doctors on the risks and benefits of taking low-dose aspirin.”

A growing body of evidence indicates that inflammation plays a role in the development of ovarian cancer and researchers noted that localised inflammation that occurs with ovulation could be a contributing factor.

It is believed that aspirin lowers ovarian cancer risk by reducing inflammation.

While several previous studies have sought to determine if aspirin and other common anti-inflammatory medications influence the risk of ovarian cancer, the findings have been inconsistent.

This latest study saw researchers analyse data on 205,498 women who were part of the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II.

Of those, 1,054 developed ovarian cancer.

The team looked at the women’s use of aspirin, low-dose aspirin, non-aspirin NSAIDs, and paracetamol, as well as information on the number of tablets used, and the frequency, timing, and duration of use.

They found that recent low-dose aspirin use was associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer while standard-dose aspirin (325mg) use was not.

However they did not observe an increasingly lower ovarian cancer risk with longer durations of low-dose aspirin use.

Their analysis also suggested that use of non-aspirin NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, when taken in quantities of at least 10 tablets per week for multiple years may be associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Senior author Professor Shelley Tworoger, associate centre director of population science at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, said: “Our findings expand on two consortium studies showing that daily aspirin is related to lower ovarian cancer risk.

“Many people take a low-dose aspirin daily for heart disease prevention.

“More research is needed to figure out which women can benefit most from taking low-dose aspirin to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer.”