Articles

Frequent Aspirin Use Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk Regardless Of Genetic Risk: New Study Revealed

Author: Medical Team

Medical Blog

Any cancerous growth that begins in the ovaries is referred as ovarian cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common malignancy among women to cause death in the country. Despite advances in treatment, the prognosis for ovarian cancer remains poor. Therefore, identifying modifiable risk factors that can reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer is of great importance.

Patients suffering from ovarian cancer possesses poor survival rates, which makes the preventive measures crucial.  Evidence suggests that frequent aspirin use can reduce the risk for ovarian cancer by about 13%, but it's unclear whether genetic factors change those odds.

Although promising for chemoprevention, aspirin use can also have drawbacks, such as hemorrhagic stroke and gastric ulcers, therefore it's critical to identify and target people who are more likely to develop ovarian cancer and who might benefit from frequent aspirin use.

A recent study published in the journal JAMA Oncology has found that frequent aspirin use can lower the risk of ovarian cancer, regardless of genetic risk factors.

The study found that daily or almost daily aspirin use was associated with a 13% reduction in ovarian cancer risk, which was not modified by an individual's polygenic score (PGS).

A polygenic score (PGS), which measures the total number of genetic variants an individual has, which increases their chance of getting a certain disease, was used in the current investigation to characterise genetic susceptibility to ovarian cancer. A PGS combined with additional risk factors for diseases can provide a more accurate prediction of occurring a particular disease than any one taken separately.

The research involved the pooled analysis of eight case-controlled studies from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium carried out over a 14-year period in the UK, US and Australia. The researchers examined genetic and frequent use aspirin data among 4476 patients with nonmucinous ovarian cancer (average age 57) and 6659 control participants (average age 58). Frequent use of Aspirin was reported in 1030 controls (15%) and 575 patients (13%).

According to the scientists, using aspirin frequently was linked to a 13% decreased incidence of nonmucinous ovarian cancer. Notably, this connection was unaffected by polygenic score.

High-grade serious and endometrioid tumours showed the highest risk reductions, and there is no proof that polygenic score changed this association.

In conclusion, the new study provides compelling evidence that frequent aspirin use can lower the risk of ovarian cancer, regardless of genetic risk factors. The findings suggest that aspirin may be a promising and accessible strategy for ovarian cancer prevention. Further research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and risks of aspirin use for ovarian cancer prevention.

Reference:

1. Hurwitz, L. M., Webb, P. M., Jordan, S. J., Doherty, J. A., Harris, H. R., Goodman, M. T., Shvetsov, Y. B., Modugno, F., Moysich, K. B., Schildkraut, J. M., Berchuck, A., Anton-Culver, H., Ziogas, A., Menon, U., Ramus, S. J., Wu, A. H., Pearce, C. L., Wentzensen, N., Tworoger, S. S., Pharoah, P. D. P., … Trabert, B. (2023). Association of Frequent Aspirin Use With Ovarian Cancer Risk According to Genetic Susceptibility. JAMA network open, 6(2), e230666. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.0666