Author: Vishnevskaya Karina
Editor: Merentsova Anastasia
As a result of a study conducted by scientists from the United States and Australia, it turned out that in older people with advanced cancer, taking aspirin can increase the risk of disease progression and speed up the onset of death.
Early clinical trials, predominantly in middle-aged adults, demonstrate that aspirin can reduce the risk of cancer. This is especially true for rectal cancer.
This study involved 19,114 people from Australia and the United States over the age of 70, as well as representatives of national minorities from the United States over 65. At the beginning of the study, according to the diagnostic measures performed, the subjects showed no pathology from the cardiovascular system, dementia or physical disabilities. Participants were followed for an average of 4.7 years.
981 participants who took aspirin and 952 participants who took placebo developed cancer. At the same time, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of subjects in the development of cancer in general or in the development of certain types of cancer. However, aspirin was associated with a 19% increased risk of metastatic cancer and a 22% increased risk of stage 4 cancer. In addition, among the participants in the first group (taking aspirin) who were diagnosed with advanced cancer, the risk of death was higher during follow-up than among those who took placebo.
Based on the results of the study, it was found that aspirin can have different mechanisms of action at the cellular or molecular level, directly depending on the age of the patient.
