Study says aspirin can help in preventing liver cancer

Aspirin and several other commonly-used types of painkillers can help a person stave off liver cancer and other forms of hepatic disease as per the new research study. 

People who consumed apirin were 41% less likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma and 45% less likely to die from chronic liver disease.

Those who used non-aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs like the ibuprofen or naproxen sodium were 26% less likely to succumb to liver diseases, the research said.

However, the study, which analyzed over 300,000 men and women in the age of 50 to 71 for a period of 10 to 12 years, found no link between NSAIDs and the reduced risk of developing HCC.

The authors of the joint National Institutes of Health said, “These associations are prominent with the use of aspirin, and if confirmed, might open new vistas for chemoprevention of heptaocellular carcinoma and chronic  liver disease.” They also said, “Aspirin, in particular, when used exclusively or with other non-aspirin NSAIDs showed a consistent protective effect related to both HCC incidence and CLD mortality, regardless of the frequency of exclusivity of use.”  Among the respondents about 73% reported aspirin use and 56% used other NSAIDs.

The effects of aspirin were independent of the frequency of use. The results were adjusted for age, sex, race or ethnicity, body mass index, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and diabetes.  

The researchers stated that the apparent advantage of NSAID use in the cohort may have been on account of the anti-inflammatory or other mechanisms. 

The researchers were of the view that the lack of dose response and finding of only monthly links to non-aspirin NSAID use suggests that the findings should be interpreted with some caution as they may reflect the unmeasured co-founder.