Aspirin helpful in warding off pancreatic cancer??

[Guest guest]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52454-2002Aug6.html

By Randolph E. Schmid

Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, August 6, 2002; 9:51 PM

WASHINGTON ­­ Aspirin, already widely used by

people hoping to ward

off a heart attack, may also be helpful in

preventing pancreatic cancer.

In recent years reports of the benefits of aspirin

have increased, including

modest reductions in the polyps that can lead to

colon cancer.

Now, University of Minnesota researchers report an

apparent association

between taking aspirin and reducing rates of

often-deadly pancreatic cancer by

as much as 43 percent.

Their findings are reported in Wednesday's issue of

the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

" This is an intriguing study, more along the lines

of hypothesis generating as opposed to testing, " said Dr. Ernest Hawk of the

National Cancer Institute, who was not part of the

research group.

" I think that aspirin may very well have this sort

of activity but I wouldn't consider it definitive that this point, " he said.

" They will

have to work out the risks and benefits. "

Hawk noted that this was an observational study,

not a randomized, controlled trial.

" It provides information that needs to be tested in

a controlled study, " he said. There have been prior studies of pancreatic

cancer that

didn't see any statistical effect in aspirin use,

Hawk added.

Because aspirin can also have side effects, he said

that people may not want to run out and start taking it just on the basis of

this

study, but added that " researchers may want to run

out and do (more) studies. "

The research team, led by E. and

Dr. R. Folsom, studied the use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs by 28,283 postmenopausal

women who responded to health questionnaires in the Iowa Women's Health

Study from 1992 to 1999.

Women who took aspirin had a 43 percent lower rate

of pancreatic cancer than nonusers and the risk of the cancer declined with

increasing frequency of aspirin use, the team

reported.

Of 80 cases of pancreatic cancer found in the

study, 33 were women who never used aspirin and 27 used it less than once a

week.

There were 10 cases among women who took aspirin

two to five times a week and 10 among those using it six times or more

weekly.

Risk factors for pancreatic cancer are not known

and it is often rapidly fatal with few treatment options.

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