Pooled analysis of case-control studies of associations of aspirin or statin use with gastric cancer risk

Aspirin and statins have been suggested to have potential chemopreventive effects against gastric cancer (GC), although the results of previous studies have been inconsistent. Pooled analysis of seven case-control studies within the multinational Stomach Cancer Pooling Project included 3220 GC cases and 9752 controls. Regular use of aspirin or statin was defined as at least once a week during the previous year. The pooled odds ratio of GC for aspirin users versus nonusers was 0.72 (95 CI 0.54-0.95) whereas the pooled OR of GC for statin users versus nonusers was 0.79 (0.52-1.18). The protective effect of aspirin use was stronger in individuals without a GC family history (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.37-0.95). The OR of GC decreased with increasing duration of aspirin use. The authors conclude that aspirin use, particularly long-term, was associated with reduced GC risk, whereas a similar association was not seen for statins.