Researchers find regular aspirin cuts pancreatic cancer risk in people with diabetes

Researchers from University Hospital Southampton have found taking aspirin regularly cuts the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 40% in people with diabetes - and by 20% in the general population.

The discovery has been hailed a “significant finding” by experts given the poor long-term survival from what is described as “one of the worst” cancers.

The study, which was funded by PLANETS Cancer Charity, looked at data from almost 10,000 people from the UK Biobank - a cohort of 500,000 people aged between 37 to 73 years recruited between 2006 and 2010.

They found the risk of developing pancreatic cancer reduced by 40% in people with diabetes mellitus who took aspirin on regular basis and by 20% among the general population, which concurs with previous research into its preventative effects against the development of other cancers.

The study showed the risk reduction remained the case at two years and five years from recruitment into the study.

Aspirin is a widely available and cheap anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for pain relief, as well as a longer-term preventative or post-treatment medication for heart attack, stroke and blood clots due to its blood-thinning effects.

Previous research has shown aspirin can block the production of enzymes which increase inflammation in the body and fuel the growth of cancer cells.

People over 50 who develop new-onset diabetes are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer than the general population. Although the reasons for the link are not clearly defined, both are diseases of the pancreas and involve intolerance to sugar.

The most common form, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer (PDAC), has the lowest survival rate of any cancer and is usually detected at an advanced stage, with five-year survival at just 5%.

The Southampton study, published in the journal Pancreatology, is believed to be the largest to examine the association of aspirin and PDAC - and is the first to show regular aspirin use is associated with a reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

“Pancreatic cancer is rated to be one of the worst cancers and almost everyone affected by pancreatic cancer will die within five years of their diagnosis, with long-term survival limited to those diagnosed with early stage disease suitable for curative surgery,” explained Dr Zaed Hamady, a consultant hepatobiliary, pancreatic and robotic surgeon at University Hospital Southampton.

“In addition, the trend of pancreatic cancer is increasing in the UK as well as worldwide in a similar way to other cancers and we know there is a particular association between the development of diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

“This large study demonstrates that commonly-used aspirin, which is traditionally associated with reducing the risk of heart attacks or heart complications, can prevent the development of pancreatic cancer.

“We found there is a 20% reduced risk among the general population, which has been demonstrated in the past with other cancers, particularly colon, but can now be replicated in pancreatic cancer.

“However, what is more striking is that the preventative effect is stronger in people with diabetes with 40% less risk in this patient group. Given the association of diabetes with pancreatic cancer risk and the associated poor outcomes for everyone affected, this is a very significant finding.”

Dr Hamady, who is also an honorary senior clinical lecturer at the University of Southampton and a member part the PLANETS clinical team, said more work is needed to clarify which particular population affected by diabetes are more likely to have cancer and that is now underway using a secondary screening programme developed by the same team.

This work is linked to Dr Hamady and his colleagues’ research into the identification of genetic patterns that could help to predict the likelihood of someone developing pancreatic cancer.

Last year the team combined data from the UK Biobank with information on a person’s symptoms, lifestyle and medical history to using a computer model to identify genetic patterns that predict the likelihood of someone developing pancreatic cancer.

Hampshire-based PLANETS is a charity which helps patients with pancreatic, liver, colorectal, abdominal (oesophageal and gastric) and neuroendocrine (NET) cancers by funding patient support groups, innovative treatments and research.