Impact of acetylsalicylic Acid on the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with invasive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND

The impact of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on the clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer has not yet been elucidated in detail; we therefore aimed to investigate the effects of ASA on the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Breast cancer patients who were taking ASA at the time of breast cancer diagnosis were enrolled as ASA users (n = 84); matching patients with the same age who were not taking ASA were included as control group (n = 890).

RESULTS

The median age was 56 (range 34-82) years in both groups. ASA users had a significantly lower incidence of grade II-III tumors compared to non-users (P = 0.02). The other clinicopathological characteristics and treatment histories were similar in both groups. In patients using ASA, the disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 97.3%, 89.4%, and 79.9% and in non-users it was 94.1%, 81.8%, and 70.9% in the 1rst, 3rd, and 5th year, respectively (P = 0.01). In aspirin users, the overall survival rate was 95.0%, 90.6%, and 87.6% and in non-users it was 98.1%, 91.2%, and 85.5% in the 1rst, 3rd, and 5th year, respectively (P = 0.50).

CONCLUSIONS

Using ASA at the time of breast cancer diagnosis was associated with significantly improved DFS in breast cancer patients.