Cancer Incidence and Mortality With Aspirin in Older Adults

Is 4.7 years of treatment with low-dose aspirin associated with incident cancer and cancer-related mortality over the longer term in older adults?In this cohort study of 19 114 adults aged 70 years or older (≥65 years for Black and Latino individuals) free of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and independence-limiting physical disability, through extended follow-up (median 8.6 years) of participants in the ASPREE randomized clinical trial, no association between aspirin exposure and overall cancer incidence was observed. An elevated cancer-related mortality risk that had been seen in the clinical trial phase with aspirin was not observed after trial as a legacy effect of original aspirin randomization.Results of this study suggest that initiating a multiyear aspirin strategy for prevention of cancer is not recommended in older adults.

Corresponding Author: Suzanne G. Orchard, PhD, Monash University, Level 2, 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC, Australia (suzanne.orchard@monash.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.