Frequent Aspirin Use Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk

Regardless of Genetic Risk: New Study Revealed

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

Any cancerous growth that begins in the ovaries is referred as ovarian cancer. Accord-
ing to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common malig-
nancy 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 aspi-
rin 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% reduc-
tion 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 indi-
vidual 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 pre-
diction 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: Hurwitz, L. M., Webb, P. M., Jordan, S. J., Doherty, J. A., Harris, H. R., Goodman, M. T., Shvetsov, Y. B., Modugno, F., Moys-
ich, 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