CLEVELAND, April 19 (UPI) -- Daily aspirin use can reduce the risk for bile duct cancer, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found in a recent study.
Although researchers are unsure of the anti-cancer effects of aspirin, recent studies have shown its effects on inflammation, which plays a role in many types of cancer, may reduce risk.
In the case of bile duct cancer, "continuous unremitting inflammation" is a major factor in the development of the aggressive disease, researchers say.
"The evidence has been accumulating that regular, long-term use of aspirin is associated with a decreased risk of a number of different cancer types, particularly gastrointestinal cancers," Dr. Lewis Roberts, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Mayo Clinic, said in a press release.
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A study published earlier this year showed aspirin reduced the risk for gastrointestinal cancers, including those of the colon and rectum.
For the new study, published in the journal Hepatology, researchers analyzed data on 2,395 bile duct cancer patients and 4,769 healthy people, comparing aspirin use among the groups.
The researchers found people taking aspirin were 2.5 to 3.5 times less likely to develop bile duct cancer, compared to people who did not take aspirin.
"We know that continuous unremitting inflammation is one of the main factors that promotes cancer of the bile ducts," Roberts said. "Aspirin, with it's an anti-inflammatory properties, may reduce the risk of bile duct cancer by lessening inflammation through inhibition of an enzyme called cyclo-oxygenase, which is known to promote inflammation."
The researchers reiterate, however, that aspirin has not been shown to definitively prevent cancer, and plan future population-based studies to confirm the lowered risk for bile duct cancer, with clinical trials to come if the association is confirmed.
