“Acetylsalicylic acid” (ASA), commonly known as “aspirin,” is something most of us have in our medicine cabinets. It’s been around forever as a pain reliever, fever reducer, and inflammation fighter — more recently, it’s been proven to help reduce the risk of heart attack. Now, a new property has been assigned to the drug: it could help stave off head and neck cancers.
Cancers affecting the head and neck make up three percent of all cancer cases in the U.S. This class of malignant tumors can hit the nose, mouth, lips, voice box (“larynx”), throat (“pharynx”), salivary glands, and/or thyroid, among others. As there are many different forms of cancer in this category, the typical risk factors vary. However, some examples include smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol (the combination of tobacco and alcohol is found to be the biggest risk of all), sun exposure (e.g. lip cancer), human papillomavirus infection, and inadequate amounts of fruit and vegetables in the diet.
Obviously, the signs and symptoms also vary so let your doctor know of any unusual pain (especially long-lasting sore throat or ear pain), hoarseness, lumps, patches, weight loss, or other changes. If you smoke and drink alcohol regularly, or have done so in the past, you need to be especially vigilant.
In addition to the human cost, there’s also a financial burden that comes with this type of disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, we spend $3.2 billion every year treating these cancers.
Okay, so now that you’re more familiar with head and neck cancers, let’s get to the latest good news on the topic. The study of interest was published in the November issue of the journal Archives of Otolaryngology.
The large study looked at 529 patients diagnosed with head or neck cancer and 529 healthy patients. Basically, researchers surveyed the subjects on their lifelong use of ASA to see if there was a link with the disease. It was found that people who had taken the drug for 10 or more years were 30% less likely to have developed a head or neck malignancy. That’s quite a significant percentage. The greatest risk reduction was noted in the area of mouth and upper throat (“oropharynx”) cancers. However, it’s important to note that heavy smokers and drinkers did not experience the same benefits of ASA therapy.
Since this was more of a retrospective study, the results are not considered as weighty as if they were taken from a study specifically set up to examine a group of people taking ASA to treat their specific cancer. However, in this case, the study would be extremely long-term and, thus, difficult to manage.
The researchers believe that ASA, as well as other non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), could be a weapon against various types of cancer. It’s thought that the same properties that help NSAIDs fight pain could be behind their role in cancer prevention — these drugs inhibit “COX-2,” an enzyme that is known to play a role in producing pain and implicated in the development of pre- cancerous lesions.
The question now for all of us is should we take ASA every day to help keep us safe from cancer? Since the evidence is not quite strong enough, the short answer is no. Since it is a blood thinner, regular use of ASA has been known to cause bleeding, especially in the stomach area. There’s also the risk of accidental overdose, which can be fatal.
The long answer is for you to speak with your primary physician to weigh your personal risks of developing head and neck cancers against the potential risks of taking ASA for a long period. Never start a regular therapy without consulting your doctor, especially if you’re already taking other medications.
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