Aspirin protects against gastric cancer: results of a case-control study from Moscow, Russia

Int J Cancer. 1999 Aug 12;82(4):473-6. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19990812)82:4<473::aid-ijc1>3.0.co;2-k.

Abstract

A case-control study of stomach cancer which includes 448 cases and 610 hospital controls has been conducted in Moscow, Russia. Information on life-style habits, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, medical history and use of different medications including aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Venous blood was drawn from 361 cases and 441 controls. A serological test for Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G was performed to detect infected individuals. Use of aspirin and other NSAIDs was associated with protection against cancer of the stomach (OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.41-0.90). Analysis by subsite revealed that aspirin did not affect the risk of cancer of the gastric cardia but had a protective effect for non-cardia gastric cancer. The OR associated with use of aspirin adjusted for age and education for both sexes combined was 0.49 (95% CI 0.31-0.77). A decrease in relative risk was statistically significant for men (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.25-0.92) and women (OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.28-0.97). Controlling for major risk factors did not attenuate the reduction in risk. The observed associations were also present in individuals who were H. pylori immunoglobulin G-positive. There was no reduction in risk associated with aspirin and/or non-aspirin NSAIDs among non-infected subjects.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / epidemiology
  • Adenocarcinoma / microbiology
  • Aged
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / administration & dosage*
  • Aspirin / administration & dosage*
  • Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / epidemiology
  • Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / microbiology
  • Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / epidemiology
  • Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / microbiology
  • Cardia
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Helicobacter Infections / epidemiology
  • Helicobacter pylori
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Moscow / epidemiology
  • Odds Ratio
  • Risk Factors
  • Smoking / epidemiology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / microbiology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / prevention & control*

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
  • Aspirin