Long-term aspirin use decreased risk for multiple myeloma

Regular, long-term aspirin use was associated with a decreased risk for multiple myeloma, according to results of a prospective analysis.

The association appeared stronger among men than women, results showed.

Researchers assessed whether regular use of aspirin affected multiple myeloma risk in patients included in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study.

The investigators used biennially updated data to characterize aspirin use from baseline until 2008, cancer diagnosis or mortality. The researchers included a 4-year lag on exposure classification to reduce the influential affect preclinical disease may have had on aspirin use.

Researchers reported 328 incident diagnoses during 2,395,458 person-years of follow-up. This included 265 cases with probable data on typical aspirin dose and frequency.

Patients who used a cumulative average of five or more 325 mg aspirin tablets per week had a 39% decreased disease risk (HR= 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39-0.94) compared with non-aspirin users. The risk was further decreased among those who used aspirin for 11 years or more (HR= 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41-0.95).

“This prospective study of aspirin use and multiple myeloma supports an etiologic role for aspirin-inhibited pathways,” the researchers wrote. “The utility of aspirin for multiple myeloma chemoprevention warrants further evaluation.”

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