Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of gynaecological cancer mortality worldwide. Early symptoms of ovarian cancer can include decreased appetite, bloating, and abdominal pain. However, as these symptoms are non-specific and vague, they can easily be missed. This results in the majority of cases being diagnosed at advanced stages. Ovarian cancer places a significant burden on the individual, with treatment options being costly and the disease prognosis typically being poor. Prevention can therefore play a large role in reducing the mortality and disease burden of ovarian cancer. In a study published in The International Journal of Epidemiology in February 2026, Lauren Hurwitz and colleagues measured the association between frequent aspirin use and the risk of ovarian cancer. They found that long-term aspirin use was associated with lower ovarian cancer risk.
To observe the effects of aspirin use on ovarian cancer risk, data from nine US-based and one Swedish prospective cohort studies was pooled, resulting in a total of 675,901 participants being included. All included cohorts collected questionnaire data on the frequency of aspirin use at two or more timepoints. Participants were eligible for inclusion if they had at least one intact ovary, no history of ovarian cancer at baseline, responded to at least one questionnaire on the frequency of aspirin use, and were followed for two or more years. Frequent aspirin use was defined as the use of at least five days per week, for at least six months, regardless of dose. Ovarian cancer incidence was determined through questionnaires, medical records, or cancer and death registry linkages. Logistic regression and survival analyses were used to determine the association between aspirin use and ovarian cancer. They found that frequent, long-term (over at least six years) aspirin use was associated with a 14% lower ovarian cancer risk.
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This study by Hurwitz and colleagues shows that long-term, frequent aspirin use could be a protective factor for ovarian cancer. A possible mechanism behind this could be the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators involved in inflammatory signalling, cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Additionally, aspirin could have effects on pathways relevant to ovarian carcinogenesis. These findings highlight the role aspirin use could play in the prevention of ovarian cancer, especially in at-risk subgroups. However, taking long-term medication can have its own serious side effects, and measures involving that should be taken with caution. GlobalData epidemiologists forecast that in the seven major markets (7MM: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and Japan), the diagnosed incident cases of ovarian cancer will grow from 68,000 cases per year in 2026 to 71,000 cases per year in 2032. Therefore, when used with caution, tailored prevention strategies incorporating factors such as aspirin use could be important tools in reducing the considerable disease burden of ovarian cancer.
