A review by Cardiff University here in the UK has shown that, at any time after a diagnosis of cancer, about 20% more of the patients who took a daily low dose of aspirin were alive compared with patients not taking aspirin. Research also suggests that, not only does aspirin help to cut the risk of death, it has also been shown to reduce the spread of cancer within the body. This applies to different forms of cancer, including colon, breast and prostate.
Is this too good to be true? Has anybody seen similar research or come across evidence of proof?
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Dastardly
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This is a timely post, following on from my D-dimer post.
Aspirin inhibits the aggregation (clumping) of platelets, which is the first step in clot formation. It does this at the lowest dose, so no need to go crazy.
The next step in clot formation is the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. This is the real problem, since, with altered coagulation factors, fibrin can continue to accumulate until the vein is blocked.
You report: "Research also suggests that, not only does aspirin help to cut the risk of death, it has also been shown to reduce the spread of cancer within the body."
Yes - by inhibiting the formation of micro-clots, circulating cancer cells have nowhere to hide. Hence, metastasis is inhibited. This is important even if mets are already present, because it will limit tumor burden.
Patrick has already given excellent information. Really nothing needs to be added. Platelets join hands with cancer cells and hide them from phagocytes (cancer cell eater cells) by coating around cancer cells. (caumaflaging) Low dose Aspirin (81 mg a day) reduces platelet aggregation and their stickiness.. Thus exposing cancer cells to phagocytes ..enabling them to gobble up cancer cells.
Do you think that a baby aspirin every third day would be helpful in reducing fibrin/scar tissue in the lungs of an elderly person? Every third protocol day should reduce the potential for breaking down stomach mucosal lining and increasing bleeding. Any thoughts?
The opposite is true. In the largest RCT ever done on aspirin, they found: " Higher all-cause mortality was observed among apparently healthy older adults who received daily aspirin than among those who received placebo and was attributed primarily to cancer-related death."
Specifically, for the development of castration resistance in prostate cancer, "the proportion of patients who developed castration-resistant prostate cancer did not significantly differ between groups."
Thanks for that TA. I well recall those reports of higher death rates among those taking a daily dose of aspirin, because a GP had been suggesting it to me. It was the 'prevention is better than cure' syndrome. We were led to believe that taking aspirin daily for those of a certain age would help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Would the association of aspirin and mortality likely to be also found with clopidogrel (Plavix)? Is it something peculiar to aspirin alone, or to any anti-clotting drug?
I would add, it appears that aspirin was somewhat selective in which cancers it apparently promoted:"A higher rate of death from gastrointestinal cancer (including colorectal cancer) in the aspirin group than in the placebo group contributed substantially to the overall excess mortality associated with aspirin."
Aspirin isn't for everyone, and it would seem it is especially not for the subset of people prone to GI cancers. If there is a subset of people with OTHER cancers for whom aspirin might be of cancer-specific benefit, I don't know how we would identify them.
Related question, Tall_Allen. When I was about 40, my anesthesiologist uncle asked me to go on 81mg ASA because of history of hypertension when I was in college. At the time I was only slightly hypertensive, but he was still worried.
Within days I started getting bruises on my arms almost any time I bumped into anything.
I stopped taking the ASA because of the bruising,
I have been taking Naproxen 240 one or two QD regularly for anti-inflammatory relief for quite a few years.
The underlying question: to your knowledge, as an NSAID, does Naproxen have similar anti-coagulant properties, etc. as ASA? Thanks.
Your question was for T_A so forgive me for jumping in. No, most NSAIDS do not have aspirins anti platelet aggregation effects. In fact most increase statistical cardiovascular risk. But naproxen may be the exception with little to no increased CV risk, so good choice on that count. Reducing inflammation may not help treat APC, but it is a main driver of progression to more advanced stages (hallmarks of cancer) so might be beneficial if started before very advanced. Not proven. It is a personal decision. I take celecoxib ( while also on Prolia) as well as low dose ASA.
Yes, it does have anticoagulent properties - all NSAIDs do. It is contraindicated if you have a coagulation disorder, or if you are combining with another anticoagulent. Thrombocytopenia is listed as a possible serious adverse reaction. Here's the full list:Serious Reactions
I am in UK, was accepted for the add aspirin trial in 2019, and have been taking aspirin religiously every day since.
Has aspirin had any positive affect on my tumor, who knows? Some of the points raised in subsequent posts would cast doubt on its ability to be of benefit!
As an aside, I don't believe aspirin made any difference to Lupron side effects as I have ticked all the boxes from brain fog to aching joints during my two year Lupron course.
Apart from perhaps, extending my time on this rock, and only time will tell if that happens.., regular aspirin has had a couple of positives for me personally.
I suffered regularly from migrane attacks.., visual disturbance, speech difficulties and severe headache, which put me out for a day at a time. This would happen two or three times a month. Within a month of commencing aspirin , no more migrane and nothing for over two years now! I can't really describe how much a positive effect this had given I was dealing with my PCa whilst taking care of my wife who has Altzheimers. In addition, my hangovers were more manageable...!!!😁
If aspirin helps does Plavix also help? I am on Plavix for life after a stent in an earlier bypass graph. Also had a prostatectomy and have been on Zytiga and Lupron for 2 years and PSA is undetectable.
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