Is anyone taking aspirin to help stop recurrence

Ched, I have been taking low dose aspirin for many years due to my high blood pressure as my doc wants it nice and thin.  Although it's not for the same purpose origionally I have been told of it's helpfull properties as well although for me it is a little late............maybe though it is helping to slow things down a little.  I find the baby aspirin is just fine and is less likely to cause any of the stomach problems.

Hope you find your answers.

Love n hugs.    Chrissy

PS.  Ched if you make an error in a title, you can leave it there and PM the Mods and they will correct it for you.

Hi Aussieched, I am taking the MediChoice low dose aspirin. I buy it at Coles. My docs did not tell me to take it but I decided to anyway.

My wife, Bev, who occassionally posts on here, is taking daily aspirin.  She was diagnosed with stage 3A ER+ PR+ BC a little over 3 years ago.  Hopefully enough evidence accumulates to support the use of daily aspirin.  Bev is taking 1/4 aspirin daily, that she cuts up herself.

 Here's a link to an interesting article that although it doesn't study breast cancer, it does show the strong link between aspirin use and reduction in metastasis in a number of other cancers.

http://www.oncologystat.com/journals/journal_scans/Effect_of_Daily_Aspirin_on_Risk_of_Cancer_Metastasis_A_Study_of_Incident_Cancers_During_Randomised_Controlled_Trials.html;jsessionid=39FCF90266673116621459AC97FCC016

Daily aspirin use reduces vascular events and is recommended for some groups of individuals as a prevention strategy. Previous study has suggested a role for aspirin in reducing cancer risks as well. A group of articles published simultaneously in The Lancet and The Lancet Oncology by Rothwell and colleagues at Oxford extend and refine the relationship between aspirin and cancer prevention. Analysis of all available randomized controlled trials showed that, after 3 or more years of therapy, aspirin reduced the absolute risk of cancer by 24% and the risk of 5-year cancer deaths by 37%. A further analysis revealed a fascinating corollary: aspirin reduced the risk of cancer metastases, particularly metastases from adenocarcinomas. Survival was better for individuals who took either high-dose or low-dose daily aspirin. A third study showed similar effects in observational trials, mirroring the randomized results. Taken together, the results of these trials strengthen the risk-benefit ratio toward using aspirin for prevention to reduce incidence of and death from cancer as well as vascular disease.

Abstract

Background: Daily aspirin reduces the long-term incidence of some adenocarcinomas, but effects on mortality due to some cancers appear after only a few years, suggesting that it might also reduce growth or metastasis. We established the frequency of distant metastasis in patients who developed cancer during trials of daily aspirin versus control.

Methods: Our analysis included all five large randomised trials of daily aspirin (≥75 mg daily) versus control for the prevention of vascular events in the UK. Electronic and paper records were reviewed for all patients with incident cancer. The effect of aspirin on risk of metastases at presentation or on subsequent follow-up (including post-trial follow-up of in-trial cancers) was stratified by tumour histology (adenocarcinoma vs other) and clinical characteristics.

Findings: Of 17,285 trial participants, 987 had a new solid cancer diagnosed during mean in-trial follow-up of 6.5 years (SD 2.0). Allocation to aspirin reduced risk of cancer with distant metastasis (all cancers, hazard ratio [HR] 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.84, p=0.001; adenocarcinoma, HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.38-0.77, p=0.0007; other solid cancers, HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.53-1.28, p=0.39), due mainly to a reduction in proportion of adenocarcinomas that had metastatic versus local disease (odds ratio 0.52, 95% CI 0.35-0.75, p=0.0006). Aspirin reduced risk of adenocarcinoma with metastasis at initial diagnosis (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.95, p=0.02) and risk of metastasis on subsequent follow-up in patients without metastasis initially (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.28-0.72, p=0.0009), particularly in patients with colorectal cancer (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.11-0.57, p=0.0008) and in patients who remained on trial treatment up to or after diagnosis (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.15-0.62, p=0.0009). Allocation to aspirin reduced death due to cancer in patients who developed adenocarcinoma, particularly in those without metastasis at diagnosis (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.34-0.74, p=0.0006). Consequently, aspirin reduced the overall risk of fatal adenocarcinoma in the trial populations (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.53-0.82, p=0.0002), but not the risk of other fatal cancers (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.84-1.32, p=0.64; difference, p=0.003). Effects were independent of age and sex, but absolute benefit was greatest in smokers. A low-dose, slow-release formulation of aspirin designed to inhibit platelets but to have little systemic bioavailability was as effective as higher doses.

Interpretation: That aspirin prevents distant metastasis could account for the early reduction in cancer deaths in trials of daily aspirin versus control. This finding suggests that aspirin might help in treatment of some cancers and provides proof of principle for pharmacological intervention specifically to prevent distant metastasis.

I am taking a daily 81mg aspirin with the specific approval/recommendation of my MO.

My MO wants me to take the low dose aspirin with my Tamoxifen to prevent clots and perhaps decrease risk of recurrence. I took it but have stopped to get ready for my next surgery as I really bled easily when I was on it. He was okay with me waiting to start it again after my nipple surgery and tattoos in a month or two.

Talked with my MO today about aspirin. She recommended a daily baby aspirin (81 mg). Higher dosages can lead to stomach problems. She said it is fine to take with Tamoxifen.

Count me in, too:  a low dose, baby aspirin daily, as per my onc's instructions.  My only concern about this is research I recently came across that says this doubles the risk of macular degeneration (which my father has). Waiting to discuss further at upcoming onc and opthamologist appts., as this concerns me a great deal.

I take an 81 mg. tablet, same schedule as Sweetbean.

Here is another good link regarding aspirin and prevention of recurrence or death:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/179509.php

aussieched, thanks for starting this thread.  I've been wondering about this since it hit the news.  Looking forward to discussing with my onc, but will probably do it, whether he likes it or not.   

Yep--my onc said she takes one 81mg every day and thought I should, too--said it wouldn't hurt and could possibly prevent recurrence.

I have been taking an 81 mg for years and I still ended up with breast cancer.  But, I continue to take it - I do think it has health benefits.

Diagnosed Stage 1, Grade 3 triple neg in Feb 2009.  As soon as I was done with my chemo and rads, I began to take the 81 grams of baby aspirin after reading the swedish studies done on cancer survivors.  Both my onc and my primary care doctor said "go for it."  Who knows if it's doing anything, but at least I feel more proactive taking something other than my Vit D and calcium everyday!  All the best to you,

Linda

The aspirin users were also significantly less likely to experience a recurrence of prostate cancer or have the disease spread to the bones, the study found."

A daily low dose aspirin also reduces chances of heart disease, attacks etc. Unless you have an allergy, stomach problems from it, or a bleeding disorder, it is probably something that everyone, with or without cancer, should be taking.