Is There a Connection Between Regular Aspirin Use and Mortality in Multiple Myeloma?

By: Kayci Reyer
Posted: Tuesday, February 22, 2022

According to research presented in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the regular use of aspirin may complement additional treatments to improve survival in patients with multiple myeloma. Catherine R. Marinac, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Brenda M. Birmann, ScD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and colleagues sought to determine the impact of aspirin use on survival postdiagnosis.

“Confirmation in samples that have comprehensive clinical information is encouraged,” the authors cautioned.

The investigators collected data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study. Included were 436 patients who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma between 1980 and 2016 and reported taking aspirin biennially on follow-up questionnaires. Patients who used aspirin following the diagnosis of multiple myeloma had a disease-specific mortality hazard ratio of 0.61 and an overall mortality hazard ratio of 0.63 versus patients who did not use aspirin regularly. No association was identified between aspirin use prior to diagnosis and disease-specific or all-cause mortality.

A correlation was noted between the quantity of aspirin taken after diagnosis and the risk for disease-specific or overall mortality. As the number of 325-mg tablets of aspirin taken per week increased, disease-specific and overall mortality experienced a modest decrease. However, for weekly quantities of at least one tablet but fewer than six and of six tablets or more, the confidence intervals overlapped. Of note, the availability of novel therapies, which were introduced in 2000, did not appear to influence the association between aspirin use and mortality in this patient population.

Of note, the investigators could not separately assess 325-mg and lower-dose aspirin strengths because use of the lower dose was reported in 325-mg equivalents.

Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit cebp.aacrjournals.org.

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

---