Journal Article

DKFZ-2026-00527

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Longer-term aspirin use and subsequent ovarian cancer risk in the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium.

Hurwitz, L. M. ; O'Brien, K. M. ; Townsend, M. K. ; Reid, B. M. ; Fridley, B. L. ; Fan, W. ; Schabath, M. B. ; Bodelon, C. ; Chan, A. T. ; Fortner, R. T.DKFZ* ; Håkansson, N. ; Harris, H. R. ; Lacey, J. V. ; Liao, L. M. ; Merritt, M. A. ; Patel, A. V. ; Poynter, J. N. ; Robien, K. ; Sandler, D. P. ; Wentzensen, N. ; Wolk, A. ; Zheng, W. ; Tworoger, S. S. ; Trabert, B.

2026
Oxford Univ. Press Oxford

Abstract: Observational studies have reported lower ovarian cancer risk among individuals taking aspirin frequently (i.e. daily/near daily). However, most studies relied on a single assessment of aspirin use, which may have led to misclassification and precluded the examination of patterns of use over time. We examined the association between aspirin use, assessed at multiple time points, and ovarian cancer risk.Data were pooled from 10 prospective cohort studies from the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (n = 675 901 participants; 5528 cases; median follow-up = 13 years). Frequent aspirin use was self-reported via repeat questionnaires. We examined multiple time-updated, lagged aspirin-exposure metrics and risk of ovarian cancer by using pooled logistic regression adjusted for time-updated confounders.While ever frequent aspirin use was not associated with ovarian cancer [odds ratio (OR) 0.97; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91-1.03], individuals who reported long-term use experienced a 14% reduction in ovarian cancer risk (>6 years; OR 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77-0.97). This risk reduction was evident among individuals with at least three ovarian cancer risk factors (OR 0.65; 95% CI: 0.50-0.85) but not among individuals with fewer than three ovarian cancer risk factors (OR 0.94; 95% CI: 0.82-1.08), P-interaction = .02). Reduced ovarian cancer risks were also observed for low-dose aspirin use (OR 0.90; 95% CI: 0.80-1.01 for ever low-dose use; OR 0.75; 95% CI: 0.56-0.99 for long-term low-dose use) but not ever regular-dose use (OR 1.09; 95% CI: 0.94-1.27).Long-term use of aspirin, and particularly low-dose aspirin, is associated with lower ovarian cancer risk, especially among individuals with other established risk factors for ovarian cancer. Research should continue to explore the potential role of long-term, low-dose aspirin use for ovarian cancer primary prevention.

Keyword(s): Humans (MeSH) ; Female (MeSH) ; Aspirin: administration & dosage (MeSH) ; Aspirin: therapeutic use (MeSH) ; Ovarian Neoplasms: epidemiology (MeSH) ; Ovarian Neoplasms: prevention & control (MeSH) ; Middle Aged (MeSH) ; Prospective Studies (MeSH) ; Aged (MeSH) ; Risk Factors (MeSH) ; Logistic Models (MeSH) ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal: administration & dosage (MeSH) ; Adult (MeSH) ; aspirin ; ovarian epithelial carcinoma ; ovarian neoplasms ; primary prevention ; Aspirin ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Krebsepidemiologie (C180)

Research Program(s):

1. 313 - Krebsrisikofaktoren und Prävention (POF4-313) (POF4-313)

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Clinical Medicine ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 5 ; JCR ; Nationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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