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Aspirin use predicts prolonged survival in patients with oropharyngeal cancer: Nationwide Veterans Affairs database study
Author(s) -
Clark Christine M.,
Newark Annemarie C.,
Fokar Ali,
Maxwell Jessica H.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.26481
Subject(s) - aspirin , veterans affairs , medicine , hazard ratio , confidence interval , medical prescription , proportional hazards model , propensity score matching , database , pharmacology , computer science
Abstract Background Single‐institution studies suggest that aspirin reduces the risk of death in head and neck cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aspirin use on overall survival (OS) in veterans with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). Methods A total of 23 083 veterans with OPC were identified between 2005 and 2018 from the Veterans Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse. Records were queried for clinical‐demographic data, aspirin prescriptions, and outcomes. Three‐year OS was estimated. A Cox model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for aspirin use. Results Among the 23 083 identified veterans, 17 206 veterans met inclusion criteria. 21.8% used aspirin. Three‐year OS was prolonged for aspirin users (66%) compared to nonaspirin users (54%; P < .001). Adjusted HR for death for nonaspirin users was 1.75 (95% confidence interval (CI) [1.60‐1.91]). The average treatment effect of aspirin on survival using inverse probability weighting was 10% (95% CI [0.08‐0.11]). Conclusion Aspirin use following OPC diagnosis was independently associated with improved 3‐year OS among veterans nationwide.