Aspirin's long-term effects on cancer, heart disease, and dementia
Official title: Aspirins legacy on cancer and overall benefit: risk balance over a 15-year horizon
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11399241 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether five years of low-dose aspirin taken by older adults changes their long-term risks of cancer, heart disease, dementia, and stomach bleeding over about 15 years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 26, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $364,000 |
| NIH project number | 3U01CA301988-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399241 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults without prior cardiovascular disease who participated in ASPREE or are similar in age (typically 65+), and who can provide follow-up health information or medical records.
✕Less likely to help
People already taking aspirin for existing heart disease (secondary prevention), those with active bleeding disorders, or those well outside the study's enrolled age range are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
Researchers will extend follow-up of older adults from the ASPREE-XT cohort to track cancer outcomes (especially colorectal cancer), cardiovascular events, dementia, and gastrointestinal bleeding up to 15 years after initial aspirin exposure. They will combine medical records, regular follow-up contacts, and existing trial data to measure long-term outcomes. The team will update and test risk prediction models to better identify who is likely to benefit or be harmed by preventive aspirin use, including people in the oldest age groups. Results will be used to refine personalized recommendations for aspirin use in primary prevention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help determine which older adults gain overall health benefit from low-dose aspirin and who faces unacceptable bleeding risk.
How similar studies have gone: Prior long-term trials and follow-ups have suggested aspirin can lower colorectal cancer risk but increase bleeding, so findings have been mixed and this project extends follow-up into much older populations to clarify effects.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Warner, Erica T — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Warner, Erica T
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.