Linda and Carolyn pose in front of Linda's mobile home on Lake Samish
Probably about 1980
Way
back on April 2nd, 2012 I wrote about aspirin as a potential weapon against
cancer. At the time the evidence was ambiguous. Now, however –
thanks to my good friend Kathy O’Briant of Fred Hutch – I can tell you of more
definitive results from a “meta study” involving an artfully statistical
blending of the findings from 12 separate investigations conducted all
over the place. The research was authored by about four dozen people from
at least three dozen distinct institutions, making it, no doubt, absolute
gospel. At least current absolute gosple; these things have a way of
evolving or becoming “inoperative”. (Some recent politician was ridiculed
for saying his previous statements were “inoperative”. Who was
that? Can't remember/). So this may not be the last time I write about aspirin – but I
hope it is.
Anyway,
this study was specific to ovarian cancer. In addition to aspirin,
the effects of taking non- aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAID) (would that be ibuprofen?) and acetaminophen (Tylenol?) were
investigated. The results were as follows:
Regular
use of small-dose (<100 mg) aspirin significantly reduced the risk of contracting
epithelial ovarian cancer, the most common kind, and the most deadly.
Large
(>400 mg) daily doses of aspirin also helped, but not as much.
Large
doses of non-aspirin NSAIDs also gave some benefit.
Acetaminophen
didn’t help at all.
Small
doses of aspirin also are known to reduce the risk of heart disease, and now seem to
be effective against ovarian cancer as well. So, one might ask: WHY IN
HELL DON’T ALL WOMEN TAKE A BABY ASPIRIN EVERY DAY? Sadly, there are
reasons. Side effects of aspirin include peptic ulcers, upper
gastrointestinal bleeding, and even hemorrhagic stroke. It seems that the
best course of action is for women in high-risk categories to take low-dose
aspirin but for the general population to hold off, awaiting the results of new and even bigger
“meta studies” that surely will be performed, NIH and the Federal budget willing.
I just pulled out my bottle of low-dose apirin. My doctor had me on it a few years ago for heart disease prevention, but later said it was not necessary. Lots of information to support your blog entry when I googled "ovarian cancer aspirin" just now. Thanks for a tip that I can actually do today.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, look at those young and thin women with hair like the Beck sisters.
Oh that hair!
ReplyDeleteMedical science. I am tempted to write Medical "science". The FDA has weighed in once again, in all its awesome majesty. It says - don't take aspirin to prevent heart problems UNLESS you already have experienced one. They describe the risks. Nowhere is the value of aspirin against cancer mentioned. Good Lord!
ReplyDeleteRead it yourself: http://www.healthline.com/health-news/aspirin-heart-attack-stroke-050614
As always, consult your doctor.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so Carolyn spotted this little article on Yahoo. Read it, then explain to me why your MDs don't prescribe aspirin. Then go argue with them.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.yahoo.com/health/daily-aspirin-can-cut-risk-of-some-cancers-93962544527.html
The new Fred Hutch Newsletter weighs in on the use of aspirin for cancer with what is – I think – some fairly dubious reasoning. The link below will take you to the article, which you should read. It is concerned almost exclusively with pancreatic cancer for which – God knows – we need all the help we can get. Faithful readers will remember that aspirin also has been shown to help prevent several other kinds of cancer, including ovarian. Apparently it is especially useful for the pancreatic kind. However, the advice advanced here is to be very careful about taking cancer as a preventative, because of the dreaded potential of internal bleeding. What to think? I guess you should, as they recommend, consult with your doctor before you start an aspirin regime., Personally, though, I think you should insist that he/she think very hard about rejecting aspirin, especially if you have a family history of cancer. Hell, even at 81 I would be taking a baby aspirin every day – if they didn’t have me on another kind of blood thinner.
ReplyDeleteAlways remember – M.D.s put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us – and many (most?) of them are too damned busy to keep up with the literature.
But anyway, read this
http://www.fhcrc.org/en/news/center-news/2014/06/truth-about-aspirin-cancer-heart-disease.html
The retiring head of the N.I.H. Takes aspiring regularly. Read my blog "An early morning exercise."
ReplyDelete