Aspirin And Skin Cancer

[Frankdee20]

Did anyone see the NY Post article today about Aspirin use increasing skin cancer

 

[raypeatclips]

Why would you not include a link?

 

[Frankdee20]

I can’t seem to upload it from my phone at the moment. I apologize, it was published in Science Daily.

 

[lollipop]

I can’t seem to upload it from my phone at the moment. I apologize, it was published in Science Daily.

Here it is:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180503142628.htm

@raypeatclips

 

[achillea]

Did anyone see the NY Post article today about Aspirin use increasing skin cancer

Looks like headline baiting or as Shakespeare would say " much ado about nothing"

 

[ecstatichamster]

The study isn’t available anywhere.

 

[x-ray peat]

From reading the summary it doesnt seem that they accounted for the age differences in the two groups aspirin vs non aspirin takers. With the sample drawn from a pool of 18-89 yo, obviously the aspirin taking groups will have a higher average age and therefore a higher incidence of skin cancer.

without the actual study you cant tell if that is what happened but we have all seen studies that make such obvious errors. The cynic in me says that this seems like a hit piece on aspirin, sponsored by the medical mafia.

 

[lollipop]

The study isn’t available anywhere.

Hmmmm....interesting.

 

[lollipop]

The cynic in me says that this seems like a hit piece on aspirin, sponsored by the medical mafia.

To what purpose? Help me understand. Get it banned for legal sale without a prescription? Show the evils so only MD’s can prescribe?

 

[x-ray peat]

The study isn’t available anywhere.

Its locked behind a paywall
https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(18)30485-7/pdf

To what purpose? Help me understand. Get it banned for legal sale without a prescription? Show the evils so only MD’s can prescribe?

Keep in mind this is just me letting my cynical side run wild... but if you look at medicine as a business then one way to ensure a steady flow of customers is to denigrate the competition, especially the cheap unpatented drugs that actually work. You dont have to ban aspirin or make it prescription only to reduce its use; you just have to convince doctors that it is unsafe and they will stop recommending it. Doctors will then look to other means to prevent heart disease such as the highly profitable statins or some other wonder drug.

 

[ecstatichamster]

the press story talks about a doubling of RELATIVE risk. This can mean that 1000 men were studied, 2 got melanoma, and 1 was taking aspirin and one was not. What makes me suspicious that this is a meaningless statistic is that women didn't show any similar effect.

I have to read the study to find out the details. I doubt it is a good study, but I'd like to read it.

 

[x-ray peat]

I also find it interesting that the relative risk for women was actually cut in half. Why wasnt the co-headline aspirin reduces melanoma in women by 50%?

Link Between Chronic Aspirin Use and Malignant Melanoma
"In the overall population, a significant association between aspirin exposure and subsequent diagnosis of malignant melanoma was demonstrated in men (unadjusted relative risk [RR] 3.38; 95% CI, 2.25-5.09; P <.0001 and adjusted RR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.22-2.76; P =.004) but not in women (unadjusted RR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.24-2.27; P =.590 and adjusted RR 0.53; 95% CI, 0.17-1.63; P =.266). No dose-response relationship was observed."

 

[x-ray peat]

"Nardone was surprised at the results because aspirin is reported to reduce risk of gastric, colon, prostate and breast cancer. And some previous studies have reported a reduced risk in aspirin-exposed men and an increased risk in aspirin-exposed women. Nardone attributed this to variability of the research methods used in studies that look for associations and risks for cancers."

 

[ecstatichamster]

I suspect some statistical problem with this study based upon that. I doubt it is significant in any way.

 

[SOMO]

Honestly, most dermatologists I've met were SUPER friendly, helpful and totally un-authoritarian.

I used to go to a Harvard-educated dermatologist and she was extremely up-to-date on all the latest treatments and studies in her field.


Skin cancer is so common and there are so many causes that it's extremely hard to pinpoint and isolate Aspirin as a causative factor, so unless they had the males in that study locked up for some period of time, it might be hard to track who is getting skin cancer solely because of Aspirin use.

 

[lollipop]

Keep in mind this is just me letting my cynical side run wild... but if you look at medicine as a business then one way to ensure a steady flow of customers is to denigrate the competition, especially the cheap unpatented drugs that actually work. You dont have to ban aspirin or make it prescription only to reduce its use; you just have to convince doctors that it is unsafe and they will stop recommending it. Doctors will then look to other means to prevent heart disease such as the highly profitable statins or some other wonder drug.

Okay, that makes sense! I can definitely see this. Thank you.