The Resurrection of Aspirin as an Anticancer and Pregnancy Drug

Aspirin has been getting mixed reviews lately. There’s good news and bad news. Once upon a time doctors recommended low-dose aspirin for middle-aged and older patients to prevent heart attacks and strokes. That was even for otherwise healthy people. Some doctors even suggested that some high-risk patients take aspirin as an anticancer agent. Then the “wonder drug that works wonders”  began to fall into disfavor. Now the pendulum may be starting to swing back.

Cardiologists Turn Away from Aspirin:

Earlier this year the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) said that low-dose aspirin should only be used by people at high risk of strokes or heart attacks. Others, they said, would be more likely to be harmed. 

The 2019 ACC/AHA guidelines state:

“Low-dose aspirin for primary prevention [of cardiovascular disease] now reserved for select high-risk patients.”

Cardiologists believe that any anti-clotting benefits of aspirin that could prevent heart attacks or “ischemic” strokes are offset by an increased risk of bleeding.

Aspirin as an Anticancer Drug:

Now for the good aspirin news. Researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center report that patients with head and neck cancer have a better chance of survival if they take low-dose aspirin while undergoing treatment. An additional 8 percent of patients taking the 81 mg daily dose were still alive five years after treatment compared to those not taking aspirin.

A different study at Roswell Park compared aspirin vs no-aspirin among 164 patients being treated for early stage non-small-cell lung cancer. The patients got precision radiation therapy. Two years after treatment, 57 percent of those taking low-dose aspirin were still alive, compared to 48 percent of those who did not take the drug.

Both studies were presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Sept. 15 and 16, 2019.

Other Research Suggesting Aspirin as an Anticancer Agent:

For more than three decades aspirin has been shown to have anticancer activity. We have written extensively about this at the following links:

Will Aspirin Keep Barrett’s from Turning into Cancer?

Can You Prevent Breast Cancer with Aspirin?

Aspirin Vs. Cancer: What Are We Waiting For?

Should You Take Aspirin for Cancer Prevention or Not?

Aspirin Boosts Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment

Aspirin During High-Risk Pregnancies

In 2014 the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that obstetricians consider recommending low-dose aspirin to patients at risk of pre-eclampsia. This complication of pregnancy can be extremely serious for both mother and baby.

Women taking low-dose aspirin (60 to 150 mg/day) are 24 percent less likely to develop pre-eclampsia. It has been known that low-dose aspirin could be helpful for this condition for almost three decades.

What is your experience with aspirin. Do you think it is a menace or a miracle? Share your experience in the comment section below.