Researchers from Harvard Medical School have reported that regular aspirin use after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer decreases the risk or dying of colorectal cancer that expresses COX-2. The details of this study were published in the August 12, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.[1]
Studies have consistently shown that regular aspirin use decreases the incidence of colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer. Recently, researchers from Harvard Medical School have reported that regular aspirin use decreases the risk of developing COX-2-positive colorectal cancer by 36% but has no effect on tumors with weak or absent expression of COX-2. Researchers affiliated with Cancer Leukemia Group B (CALGB) have also reported that regular aspirin use after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy for Stage III colon cancer reduced the incidence of recurrent disease and death by approximately 50%.
The current study was a prospective study of 1,279 men and women diagnosed with Stage I, II, or III colorectal cancer. After an observation period of almost 12 years, the death rate amongst regular aspirin users was 35% compared with 39% in persons who did not take aspirin on a regular basis. The cancer-specific death rate was 15% for regular aspirin users and 19% for non-aspirin users. Patients who used aspirin regularly before and after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer had a 29% reduction in colorectal cancer-specific death rate. Aspirin use only after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer was associated with a 47% reduction in colorectal cancer-specific survival. Regular aspirin use after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer was associated with a 61% reduction in colorectal cancer-specific death in patients with primary tumors that over-expressed COX-2; there was no effect, however, in patients with weak or absent expression of COX-2.
Comments: These results confirm the previous observations by the CALGB study that showed a decreased risk of death and relapse with regular aspirin use in patients with Stage III colon cancer.
Reference:
[1] Chan AT, Ogino S, Fuchs CS, et al. Aspirin use and survival after diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2009;302:649-658.
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