SynthesisJournal of cancer research and clinical oncology2019
Safety and efficacy of aspirin for primary prevention of cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis of aspirin-guided therapy of colorectal cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Acetylsalicylic acid and cancer: updates on the new potential of a nature-inspired drug.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Review
- Chemoprevention of Keratinocyte Cancers: Could Aspirin Be the Solution?Journal of cancer prevention · 2025Review
- Aspirin Use among Saudi Adults: The Prevalence and Users' Characteristics.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2022Article
- Aspirin Use Is Not Associated with the Risk of Metachronous Gastric Cancer in Patients withoutJournal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Common Pathophysiology in Cancer, Atrial Fibrillation, Atherosclerosis, and Thrombosis:JACC. CardioOncology · 2021Review
- Clinical Applications of Aspirin as a Multi-potent Drug Beyond Cardiovascular Implications: A Proof of Concept for Anesthesiologists- A Narrative Review.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2021Review
- Effect of Aspirin on Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Older Adults.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2021Article
- P2RY12-Inhibitors Reduce Cancer-Associated Thrombosis and Tumor Growth in Pancreatic Cancers.Frontiers in oncology · 2021Article
- Systematic Review of Systemic and Neuraxial Effects of Acetaminophen in Preclinical Models of Nociceptive Processing.Journal of pain research · 2021Review
- The evidence strength of a meta-analysis of aspirin for primary prevention of cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2020Article
- Long-term aspirin use for primary cancer prevention: An updated systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis of 29 randomized clinical trials.Journal of Cancer · 2020Article
- Influence of Polymorphisms Involved in Platelet Activation and Inflammatory Response on Aspirin-Related Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Case-Control Study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the United States, cancer is the second leading cause of mortality, and millions more battle cancer worldwide. As such, primary prevention of cancer is a major interest globally. Aspirin has been studied as a primary prevention method for multiple diseases, mainly cardiovascular disease and various forms of cancer. The role of aspirin as a primary prevention of cancer is still controversial and may be more beneficial in certain cancers over others. With rapidly surfacing large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying this subject, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of aspirin as a primary prophylaxis for cancer.
methodsA comprehensive electronic database search was conducted for all RCTs that compared aspirin versus placebo for the prevention of any type of disease, and where cancer incidence or mortality was reported. The primary outcome was cancerrelated mortality. Secondary outcomes were cancer incidence, all-cause mortality, major bleeding, any bleeding and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model at the longest follow-up period.
resultsWe included 16 RCTs with 104,018 total patients, mean age of 60.51 years, mean follow-up of 5.48 years, and a male percentage of 38.72%. We found that aspirin was not associated with a significant reduction of cancer-related mortality compared with placebo (RR 0.99; 95% CI: 0.87-1.12; P = 0.85: I
conclusionOur study did not find any significant reductions in cancer-related mortality or cancer incidence when compared aspirin use with placebo or no aspirin. Our study also highlights that the use of aspirin for primary prevention of cancer was found to cause higher rates of bleeding (any bleeding, major bleeding, and GI bleeding) compared to placebo or no aspirin at the longest follow-up period with no significant benefit in cancer primary prevention.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.