Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24945997›Full record

Observational studyBritish journal of cancer2014

Aspirin use and survival after the diagnosis of breast cancer: a population-based cohort study.

D M Fraser, F M Sullivan, A M Thompson, C McCowan

Open access · hybridAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in British journal of cancer, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
13.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.

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  20. Dedifferentiation andMolecular medicine reports · 2022
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1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

D M FraserDivision of Population Health Sciences, Medical Research Institute, University of Dundee, Dundee DD2 4BF, UK.
F M SullivanUTOPIAN, University of Toronto, North York General Hospital, 4001 Leslie Street, Room GS-70, Toronto, ON M2K 1E1, Canada.
A M ThompsonDepartment of Surgical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston TX 77030, USA.
C McCowanRobertson Centre for Biostatistics, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Boyd Orr Building, Level 11, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
North York General Hospital · CAUniversity of Glasgow · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_PC_13040Medical Research Council MR/K007017/1Medical Research Council MR/M501633/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAspirin use has been associated with a reduced cancer incidence and fewer deaths from cancer. This study examined whether women with breast cancer prescribed aspirin postdiagnosis had improved survival.

methodsAn observational, population cohort study was undertaken using data linkage of cancer registry, dispensed prescriptions and death records in Tayside, Scotland. All community prescriptions for aspirin in women with breast cancer were extracted and use postdiagnosis for each individual examined using Cox's proportional hazard models. The main outcome measures were all-cause mortality and breast cancer-specific mortality.

resultsFour thousand six hundred and twenty-seven patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2008 were followed up until 28 February 2010. Median age at diagnosis was 62 (IQR 52-74). One thousand eight hundred and two (39%) deaths were recorded, with 815 (18%) attributed to breast cancer. One thousand and thirty-five (22%) patients were prescribed aspirin postdiagnosis. Such aspirin use was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR=0.53, 95% CI=0.45-0.63, P<0.001) and breast cancer-specific mortality (HR=0.42, 95% CI=0.31-0.55, P<0.001) after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, TNM stage, tumour grade, oestrogen receptor status, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, adjuvant endocrine therapy and aspirin use prediagnosis.

conclusionsAspirin use postdiagnosis of breast cancer may reduce both all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality. Further investigation seeking a causal relationship and which subgroups of patients benefit most await ongoing randomised controlled trials.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalAspirinBreast NeoplasmsCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsSurvival AnalysisTreatment OutcomeAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalAspirin

Identifiers

PMID24945997
PMCPMC4119969
OpenAlexW2093307943

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.