Therapeutic exposure to aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is associated with a lower risk for cancer, including liver cancer, and decreased mortality risk in people with liver disease, according to new research.
To investigate the effect of exposure to aspirin and NSAIDs in patients with chronic liver disease, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden conducted a population-based cohort study of patients who had been hospitalized in Stockholm between 2005 and 2020 (abstract 3521-C). The mean age at diagnosis was lowest (49 years) for those with viral hepatitis and oldest (66 years) for those with primary cholangitis. Of the 21,439 patients included in the study, 6,756 were exposed to NSAIDs and 4,206 were exposed to aspirin—specifically, prescribed baby aspirin. Over the course of the 15-year study, 10,279 patients died.