New Irish research sheds light on how aspirin works to reduce cancer deaths

Researchers have discovered that women who had been prescribed aspirin regularly before being diagnosed with breast cancer are less likely to have cancer that spread to the lymph-nodes than women who were not on prescription aspirin. These women are also less likely to die from their breast cancer.

The study of Irish patients funded by the Irish Health Research Board and Irish Cancer Society and published by the American Association for Cancer Research in the Journal, Cancer Research, analyses records from the National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI), and prescription data from the General Medical Service (GMS) pharmacy claims database.

"Our findings suggest that aspirin could play a role in reducing mortality from breast cancer by preventing the cancer spreading to nearby lymph nodes", said Dr Ian Barron, the lead author who carried out the research at Trinity College Dublin, and is now working at Johns Hopkins, USA.

"We analysed data from 2,796 women with stage I-III breast cancer. We found that those women prescribed aspirin in the years immediately prior to their breast cancer diagnosis were statistically significantly less likely to present with a lymph node-positive* breast cancer than non-users. The association was strongest among women prescribed aspirin regularly and women prescribed higher aspirin doses. We now need to establish how and why this is the case".

The findings are consistent with two other major studies. The first is an analysis of cardiovascular trials where pre-diagnostic aspirin** use was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of developing metastases and dying from cancer.

The second is an observation from in vivo breast cancer models, which suggest a possible mechanism by which aspirin may reduce the risk of cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

Professor Kathleen Bennett, a co-author from the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin said: "Our study was observational and these results do not mean that women should start taking aspirin as a precautionary measure. Aspirin can have serious side effects. We still need to identify exactly how aspirin may prevent breast cancer from spreading to the lymph nodes; which women, or types of breast cancer, are most likely to benefit from taking aspirin; as well as what the optimum doses might be. Research to help answer the next questions is funded by the Irish Cancer Society as part of its first National Collaborative Cancer Research Centre, BREAST-PREDICT".

Dr Graham Love, Chief Executive of the Irish Health Research Board said: "These results have great potential to help improve our understanding of how to increase Irish and global survival rates from breast cancer."

More details on the research paper are available at the link below. http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/74/15/4065.full?sid=e5351c14-2cff-4bf8-ac16-1c69e6ebdcec
cancerres.aacrjournals.org

* lymph node positive breast cancer is one in which the cancerous cells have also been detected in the lymph nodes closest to the breast. It usually indicates a more serious cancer.

**Asprin is commonly used as a blood thinner in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.

You can find out more about the BREAST–PREDICT project at http://www.breastpredict.com

The Health Research Board (HRB) is the lead Irish agency responsible for funding health research.

We currently have €100 million invested in people doing research in universities and throughout the health services and in developing the environment and infrastructure to do health research better. The ultimate aim is improve people's health, patient care and health service delivery.

Trinity College Dublin, Ireland's oldest university is recognised internationally as Ireland's premier university and continues to be at the cutting edge of research, technology and innovation, placing the university at the forefront of higher education in Ireland and internationally. It encompasses all major academic disciplines, and is committed to world-class research activities in key areas across science, engineering, social sciences, medicine and the arts.

The Irish Cancer Society is Ireland's national cancer care charity that is committed to driving the agenda for cancer research in Ireland through their substantial commitment and investment in cancer research. In 2012, the society invested more than €2.5 million in cancer research, making them the largest voluntary funder of cancer research in Ireland. This funding is in addition to the €30 million the society has contributed to cancer research since 1963. For further information on the Irish Cancer Society's Research Programme or to make a donation, visit http://www.cancer.ie or contact the Irish Cancer Society helpline on 1800 200 700.