Aspirin use may prevent CRC metastasis

The use of aspirin appears to provide protective benefits against metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), reports a study. 

A total of 814,270 adult patients with a principal diagnosis of CRC were identified using the 2016 to 2020 National Inpatient Sample. They were then stratified into two groups based on aspirin use. The authors performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the influence of aspirin use on patient outcomes after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI). 

The outcomes assessed in the study were in-hospital mortality and the rates of total, gastrointestinal (GI), non-GI, and lymphoid metastasis. 

Of the patients, 88,620 (10.8 percent) used aspirin. The majority of aspirin users were above the age of 65 (78 percent), male (57 percent), White (77.6 percent), and had Medicare insurance (74.5 percent).  

In addition, aspirin users had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic heart failure, obesity, and smoking than nonusers. 

Notably, CRC patients who used aspirin were less likely to experience total (47.3 percent vs 32.5 percent; p<0.001), GI (22.2 percent vs 32.4 percent; p<0.001), non-GI (9.9 percent vs 15.3 percent; p<0.001), and lymphoid (9.3 percent vs 10.9 percent; p<0.001) metastasis than nonusers. 

Following adjustments for confounding factors, aspirin users still showed a lower likelihood of developing total (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.75, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.72–0.78; p<0.001), GI (aOR, 0.74, 95 percent CI, 0.71–0.77; p<0.001), non-GI (aOR, 0.72, 95 percent CI, 0.68–0.77; p<0.1), and lymphoid metastasis (aOR, 0.95, 95 percent CI, 0.90–1.00; p=0.098). 

“The use of ASA is associated with a decrease in the prevalence of metastasis among individuals diagnosed with CRC, but additional studies are required to elucidate the mechanism and duration of therapy needed to be effective,” the authors said.