WORLD- A new scientific study conducted by Australia’s Monash University has revealed that taking daily low doses of aspirin does not reduce the risk of cancer among older adults.
Previous research had shown that regular aspirin use could, after about ten years, lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. However, the findings of the new study indicate that this positive effect does not apply to individuals who start taking aspirin later in life.
The study included more than 19,000 participants from Australia and the United States, most of whom were over the age of 70. All had previously taken part in the ASPREE clinical trial between 2010 and 2017 and had no medical history of cardiovascular disease, dementia, or disabilities affecting their independence.
In the first phase of the study, participants were randomly assigned to receive either 100 mg of aspirin daily or a matching placebo. They were then followed in the ASPREE-eXTension study between 2018 and 2024 after discontinuing the medication, in order to examine the relationship between aspirin use and cancer incidence.
Follow-up results, with an average duration of 8.6 years, showed no significant differences in cancer incidence rates between the aspirin group and the placebo group, even when cases were analyzed by cancer stage and extent of spread.
In contrast, researchers recorded a 15% increase in cancer-related mortality among participants who had taken aspirin during the initial phase of the study, according to Professor Suzanne Orchard, the study’s lead author from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Orchard added that this increase in mortality did not persist during the subsequent follow-up phase, indicating no long-term effect of aspirin, while stressing the importance of continued monitoring of participants over longer periods.
Based on these findings, the study concluded that starting long-term low-dose aspirin use for cancer prevention is not recommended for older adults, emphasizing the need to consult physicians to determine the most appropriate strategies for maintaining health and preventing disease.
