Aspirin use lowers risk of liver cancer

A recent study has shown that use of aspirin can help reduce the risk of developing liver cancer.

Aspirin use has been known to have a potential protective benefit against the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, a team of investigators conducted a meta-analysis to examine the contribution of this drug to the risk of HCC.

They searched the databases of PubMed and Embase through September 2021. Eighteen studies, including 16 cohort and two case-control, met the eligibility criteria for meta-analysis.

Aspirin users were less likely to develop HCC compared to nonusers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.54, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.44‒0.66). In stratified analysis, aspirin reduced HCC risk in Asian and Western populations (OR, 0.59 vs 0.67).

Aspirin also provided protective effects against HCC after hepatitis B virus (OR, 0.70, 95 percent CI, 0.52‒0.93) and hepatitis C virus infections (OR, 0.41, 95 percent CI, 0.23‒0.73), as well as protective benefits to people with chronic liver disease (OR, 0.46, 95 percent CI, 0.31‒0.67) and the general population (OR, 0.65, 95 percent CI, 0.54‒0.79).

Moreover, confounding factors showed a significant influence on the results of aspirin prevention of liver cancer before (OR, 0.28, 95 percent CI, 0.06‒1.27) and after (OR, 0.58, 95 percent CI, 0.47‒0.71) adjustment. Further analysis revealed that those in the long duration group did not have better effects in preventing HCC (OR, 0.62 vs 0.63).

A meta-analysis of three articles revealed that aspirin use was not associated with an increased risk of bleeding in patients with HCC (OR, 1.19, 95 percent CI, 0.87‒1.64).