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. 2022 Jan:154:106872.
doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106872. Epub 2021 Nov 9.

Aspirin use for cancer prevention: A systematic review of public, patient and healthcare provider attitudes and adherence behaviours

Kelly E Lloyd  1 , Louise H Hall  2 , Natalie King  2 , Rachael J Thorneloe  3 , Rocio Rodriguez-Lopez  2 , Lucy Ziegler  2 , David G Taylor  4 , Mairead MacKenzie  5 , Samuel G Smith  2 ; AsCaP Group
Affiliations

Aspirin use for cancer prevention: A systematic review of public, patient and healthcare provider attitudes and adherence behaviours

Kelly E Lloyd et al. Prev Med. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

We undertook a systematic review to synthesise the data on attitudes and behaviour towards the use of aspirin for cancer prevention, and healthcare providers' attitudes towards implementing aspirin in practice. Searches were carried out across 12 databases (e.g. MEDLINE, EMBASE). We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to evaluate study quality, and conducted a narrative synthesis of the data. The review was pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD42018093453). Thirty-eight studies were identified. Uptake and adherence data were all from trials. Trials recruited healthy participants, those at higher risk of cancer, and those with cancer. Four studies reported moderate to high (40.9-77.7%) uptake to an aspirin trial among people who were eligible. Most trials (18/22) reported high day-to-day adherence (≥80%). Three trials observed no association between gender and adherence. One trial found no association between adherence and colorectal cancer risk. Three studies reported moderate to high (43.6-76.0%) hypothetical willingness to use aspirin. Two studies found that a high proportion of healthcare providers (72.0-76.0%) perceived aspirin to be a suitable cancer prevention option. No qualitative studies were identified. The likelihood that eligible users of aspirin would participate in a trial evaluating the use of aspirin for preventive therapy was moderate to high. Among participants in a trial, day-to-day adherence was high. Further research is needed to identify uptake and adherence rates in routine care, the factors affecting aspirin use, and the barriers to implementing aspirin into clinical care.

Keywords: Aspirin; Chemoprevention; Decision-making; NSAID; Preventive therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of search strategy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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