I'm interested in conversations about and I want to talk about
Know exactly what you want?
Show search

Notification

Error

aspirin trial

Email this conversation Print this conversation
User
Posted 30 Sep 2016 at 10:13

my friend who has just had his prostate removed went for the results of his first blood test this week. The result was that the PSA was undetectable so all good there. They asked him if he was willing to be part of a trial using aspirin for 5 years. He will not know if the tablets he will be taking are aspirin or placebo until the trial is complete.


So it got me reading about taking aspirin to prevent my own cancer returning and what I have read so far looks promising. Does anyone one on here have more information about the effects of aspirin can have on prostate cancer?

User
Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 14:03

Hi I am on the add Asprin trial, I started that in January this year after completing my RT in Nov it is offered to those that are/have just ended RT for early stage cancer.

It is being conducted over four cancer groups: Breast, Prostate, Colon/Rectum and Stomach/Oesophagus.

It involves 11,000 participants and is to find out if Asprin taken on a regular basis, after early stage treatment, can prevent cancer from returning. There are many GP's that believe that taking Asprin is beneficial but there is no clinical evidence to support the theory, hence the trials.

They are being undertaken from five hospitals.

Royal Marsden.
Worcester Royal.
Bristol Oncology centre.
University hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
Royal Lancaster infirmary.

I was the second person in Worcester and fifth in GB to start the trials and my reasons for going on it is twofold, one is that it will benefit me in the long run ( but will not harm me whatever tablet I am taking). The other is that I am able to give something back to research as I have benefited up to now from other people's trials etc.


I am sure I am taking,one,of the Asprins, either 100mg or 300 mg. as I bruise very easily and if I cut myself I bleed for longer. Even my oncologist is sure that I am on one of them rather than the placebo.

For those that are taking the Asprin I would say carry on and if you have a GP that will prescribe Asprin then great or if you self fund Asprin it is not expensive, but if anyone is approached to go on the trials then why not give something back just to show one way or the other that it works.

Best wishes to all,

Life seems different upside down,take another viewpoint

Chris/Woody

User
Posted 02 Oct 2016 at 15:10
I became aware of the "add Aspirin" trial, and liked what I heard, so I made enquirers for myself, only to learn that I wasn't deemed suitable to participate in the trial.
However after significant reading up, I became convinced in the fact that taking daily Aspirin could have something to offer in reducing to chances of a re-occurence.
After initial disappointment at not been allowed to participate in the trial, I started to have some concerns as I hadn't liked the idea that I wouldn't know which arm of the trial I might have been allocated to, and I wouldn't have wanted to have been allocated to the placebo "reference" arm, so I started thinking about my own "private trial" by just taking a daily Aspirin through my own personal choice.
I have discussed using daily Aspirin with both my Oncologist and my GP, who both had similar opinions, and who have both advised me that they see no harm in my taking a daily LOW dose (75mg) daily, however both did have some concerns about taking the larger 300mg dose that could have been on offer in one of the other trial arms (their concerns were related to gastric stomach issues !).
It's far too early to comment on any benefits, and I may never be able to say if it ever changed anything for me, but I can state that after my first month I have not had any adverse effects through taking a daily 75 mg Gastro-Resistant Enteric-Coated Tablet. (Not much more than 10p/week self purchase through £1 shops).
My personal opinion is that there is probably a benefit to be had, as there is fairly widespread comment that Aspirin can help, and that there must be something in it to have made the add Aspirin theory worthy of being officially trialled.
My advice to others would be to read up for yourself (an Internet search for "add Aspirin trial" will locate some very interesting reading), any if you like what you read, then print it off and take it with you and go talk it through with your own Oncologist and/or GP. (your Onco and/or GP might not be fully up to speed with the trial and the potential benefits).
I liked what I read & after Onco/GP consultation I am self medicating 75mg daily & I am convinced it's the right thing for me to do.

Hope this helps others
Graham.
User
Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 21:39

Hi John, about time you surfaced and showed your face!! Mind you I have not been on here for a long time either.

Taking Asprin and Statins together ought to be done carefully so listen to your GPs advice. It is a shame that the trials are confined to a certain type of PCa patient but there has to be a standard so that the results can be read in context and their benefits assessed in a true manner.

I remember your Cialis escapades and side effects but when I have taken them there has been no problems but as for using the pump I have found that the cialis is just as good at getting the old man working and up to size so have reduced the frequency of it.

Also the attempts at shaving the nether regions was a disaster but a quick learning curve and rather not think about it again.

Has anyone else noticed that after RT treatment has finished (mine ended Nov last year) and about two months ago there was the realisation that lots of my body hair,( chest, back, legs, arms and pubic area, ) had diminished very noticeably. Is this a common occurance?

Sorry to hijack the Asprin post but just asking!

John I think you had lost a lot of hair anyway so probably did not apply to you, lol.

Happy days everyone, keep taking the tablets

Life seems different upside down,take another viewpoint

Chris/Woody

User
Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 08:44
Now Chris, what are you saying about my hair? Given my family history I've held onto it very well but yes, it is thinning noticeably now. I've also experienced loss of hair on the chest but there's still some there. As for the downstairs hair, well that recovered fully within 6 months of RT, but does receive a regular trimming!
The hair on my arms and legs are as they always were though.

As for taking aspirin, my GP checked the interactions with my other meds and gave me the OK. I also told my Onco that I was taking aspirin and he had no problem with it.

John
User
Posted 05 Mar 2017 at 11:43
Hi Tony

?? I'm unclear re. Your surgeons comment. Was he/she expecting less than T3 then . If you lab measures to 1 Decimal place then it will only show < .1 in future.
I assume you have quarterly psa tests now for 2 years.

Sounds good to me.

Gordon aka Rob
User
Posted 05 Mar 2017 at 21:27

On the day my urologist told me I had cancer, he immediately put me on aspirin, vitamin D and a statin. It's not a trial - this is what he sees as the way forward. I'm on 75mg of aspirin per day. The most important thing about the aspirin is that it should be enteric coated/gastro-resistant to prevent stomach damage.


Ulsterman

Edited by member 06 Mar 2017 at 14:58  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 13 Apr 2017 at 23:43
Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 30 Sep 2016 at 15:45
Hi,

I haven't read too much on this but I understand they think this may be worth considering taking.

I'm "lucky" that I have coronary heart disease so I have to take a 75mg tablet per day anyway so I hope it does help prevent cancer coming back.

I'll watch your thread with interest.

Have a good weekend.

Steve
User
Posted 30 Sep 2016 at 23:39
When I saw my onco after diagnosis I asked what supplements he thought were worth taking. Whilst he said there was anecdotal evidence for many the only ones he thought were effectively proven were a baby asprin a day and vitamin d every day. I have studied Chinese medicine a bit recently and they say that the "flow" is key to life. Asprin thins the blood and therefore increases the flow,so does exercise hence fit bits make you move every hour. No idea how true all that is but 2 years on from T4 diagnosis I can still run 40 miles so something is working. The studies that show long term asprin usage is bad were done I believe on big doses. A baby asprin is not a big dose. Synically the big drug companies do not want a "cure" to come from a cheap drug so they don't put money into proving it may work hence PCUK etc have a big role to olay in testing things that don't cost a fortune as no drug company will pay for that!
My concern about a trial would be that I would want asprin not a placebo!

Edited by member 30 Sep 2016 at 23:43  | Reason: Not specified

Dream like you have forever, live like you only have today Avatar is me doing the 600 mile Camino de Santiago May 2019

User
Posted 01 Oct 2016 at 08:11

I have just started taking asprin as instructed by the McMillan nurse, she says she is a big believer in asprin for PCa

regards
nidge

run long and prosper
'pooh how do you spell love'
'piglet you dont spell love -you just feel it'
User
Posted 01 Oct 2016 at 20:32

Hi
I've just started aspirin 75mg dissolvable but for high cholesterol so I'll be very interested to see if it changes anything at my next onco appointment which is on 28 November.
Can't do any harm I guess.

User
Posted 01 Oct 2016 at 20:40
Funny that, John has been taken on aspirin since starting on stillbestrol in Sept 13. I believe it has amazing properties.

Cheers
Devonmaid
User
Posted 01 Oct 2016 at 22:46

John was advised to take a baby aspirin a few years ago after he was told he had arrhythmia. Since then the doctor has told him he has to go on statins because he is over 75.

Not advised him TOLD him he HAD to as it was protocol for 75+. He also rubbished the aspirin.

John has refused the Statins thank you very much and told him he'd stick with the aspirin but that decision was nothing to do with PC. He'll feel vindicated now

******

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails
User
Posted 02 Oct 2016 at 15:10
I became aware of the "add Aspirin" trial, and liked what I heard, so I made enquirers for myself, only to learn that I wasn't deemed suitable to participate in the trial.
However after significant reading up, I became convinced in the fact that taking daily Aspirin could have something to offer in reducing to chances of a re-occurence.
After initial disappointment at not been allowed to participate in the trial, I started to have some concerns as I hadn't liked the idea that I wouldn't know which arm of the trial I might have been allocated to, and I wouldn't have wanted to have been allocated to the placebo "reference" arm, so I started thinking about my own "private trial" by just taking a daily Aspirin through my own personal choice.
I have discussed using daily Aspirin with both my Oncologist and my GP, who both had similar opinions, and who have both advised me that they see no harm in my taking a daily LOW dose (75mg) daily, however both did have some concerns about taking the larger 300mg dose that could have been on offer in one of the other trial arms (their concerns were related to gastric stomach issues !).
It's far too early to comment on any benefits, and I may never be able to say if it ever changed anything for me, but I can state that after my first month I have not had any adverse effects through taking a daily 75 mg Gastro-Resistant Enteric-Coated Tablet. (Not much more than 10p/week self purchase through £1 shops).
My personal opinion is that there is probably a benefit to be had, as there is fairly widespread comment that Aspirin can help, and that there must be something in it to have made the add Aspirin theory worthy of being officially trialled.
My advice to others would be to read up for yourself (an Internet search for "add Aspirin trial" will locate some very interesting reading), any if you like what you read, then print it off and take it with you and go talk it through with your own Oncologist and/or GP. (your Onco and/or GP might not be fully up to speed with the trial and the potential benefits).
I liked what I read & after Onco/GP consultation I am self medicating 75mg daily & I am convinced it's the right thing for me to do.

Hope this helps others
Graham.
User
Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 11:16

I'm not one to miss out on anything that may help.  Taking these from now on. One daily,  Box of 28 from Wilko, 75p. Bargain.

User
Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 14:03

Hi I am on the add Asprin trial, I started that in January this year after completing my RT in Nov it is offered to those that are/have just ended RT for early stage cancer.

It is being conducted over four cancer groups: Breast, Prostate, Colon/Rectum and Stomach/Oesophagus.

It involves 11,000 participants and is to find out if Asprin taken on a regular basis, after early stage treatment, can prevent cancer from returning. There are many GP's that believe that taking Asprin is beneficial but there is no clinical evidence to support the theory, hence the trials.

They are being undertaken from five hospitals.

Royal Marsden.
Worcester Royal.
Bristol Oncology centre.
University hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
Royal Lancaster infirmary.

I was the second person in Worcester and fifth in GB to start the trials and my reasons for going on it is twofold, one is that it will benefit me in the long run ( but will not harm me whatever tablet I am taking). The other is that I am able to give something back to research as I have benefited up to now from other people's trials etc.


I am sure I am taking,one,of the Asprins, either 100mg or 300 mg. as I bruise very easily and if I cut myself I bleed for longer. Even my oncologist is sure that I am on one of them rather than the placebo.

For those that are taking the Asprin I would say carry on and if you have a GP that will prescribe Asprin then great or if you self fund Asprin it is not expensive, but if anyone is approached to go on the trials then why not give something back just to show one way or the other that it works.

Best wishes to all,

Life seems different upside down,take another viewpoint

Chris/Woody

User
Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 20:25
Hi Chris and everyone, long time no chat,

I'm aware of this trial too but owing to local spread was illegible to join.
I asked my GP about the benefits of taking aspirin. She replied that whilst it can do some good there are risks in taking it as well. She also said she is frequently asked by many of her cancer patients about the benefits of aspirin.
She recommended that I take no more than 75mg daily (or every other day) but is not too worried for me as I am on 10 mg statins daily as well. I've experienced no s/e at all (the worst s/e I've ever had were when I started daily cialis! - wow, my mobility was severely impaired for about a month, but then abated and all has been fine thereafter).

Chris PB, I recall your episode when preparing to use your newly prescribed pump in May of this year, when you cut yourself trimming downstairs!
I think it was entitled "ouch - good and bad..". You made reference to the trial then and mentioned that you thought you were on aspirin then.
How's the pumping going, by the way?

Hope all is going as well as can be expected for everyone, if not better than expected. Not much fun having Pca is it?

Regards,

John
User
Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 21:39

Hi John, about time you surfaced and showed your face!! Mind you I have not been on here for a long time either.

Taking Asprin and Statins together ought to be done carefully so listen to your GPs advice. It is a shame that the trials are confined to a certain type of PCa patient but there has to be a standard so that the results can be read in context and their benefits assessed in a true manner.

I remember your Cialis escapades and side effects but when I have taken them there has been no problems but as for using the pump I have found that the cialis is just as good at getting the old man working and up to size so have reduced the frequency of it.

Also the attempts at shaving the nether regions was a disaster but a quick learning curve and rather not think about it again.

Has anyone else noticed that after RT treatment has finished (mine ended Nov last year) and about two months ago there was the realisation that lots of my body hair,( chest, back, legs, arms and pubic area, ) had diminished very noticeably. Is this a common occurance?

Sorry to hijack the Asprin post but just asking!

John I think you had lost a lot of hair anyway so probably did not apply to you, lol.

Happy days everyone, keep taking the tablets

Life seems different upside down,take another viewpoint

Chris/Woody

User
Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 08:44
Now Chris, what are you saying about my hair? Given my family history I've held onto it very well but yes, it is thinning noticeably now. I've also experienced loss of hair on the chest but there's still some there. As for the downstairs hair, well that recovered fully within 6 months of RT, but does receive a regular trimming!
The hair on my arms and legs are as they always were though.

As for taking aspirin, my GP checked the interactions with my other meds and gave me the OK. I also told my Onco that I was taking aspirin and he had no problem with it.

John
User
Posted 05 Mar 2017 at 11:19

Hi
I'm 8 weeks post robotic surgery with nerve sparing and I had psa test after 6 weeks .
Went to see surgeon last week for follow up psa is 0.1 with t3 and he hoped it would be better for me but he insisted that it's not all bad just a chance it could come back and he works in worse case scenarios which I respect.
I've been offered the Aspirin trial for which I've agreed subject to approval. I know it's not the magic bullet but if it helps others brown the line it's the least I can do for the fantastic service I've had since last September.

User
Posted 05 Mar 2017 at 11:43
Hi Tony

?? I'm unclear re. Your surgeons comment. Was he/she expecting less than T3 then . If you lab measures to 1 Decimal place then it will only show < .1 in future.
I assume you have quarterly psa tests now for 2 years.

Sounds good to me.

Gordon aka Rob
User
Posted 05 Mar 2017 at 12:57

We too read the clinical trial info on ADD aspirin but A had a biopsy showing too much G6 for the trial protocols so on New Year's Day we chose an arm of the test and are following it anyway.

We chosen the low dose aspirn plus Vitamin D3 arm ..

He is taking this religiously along wit turmeric daily.
He hasn't had to make too many dietary changes as green tea was already his thing( since 2913) He has an intolerance to dairy ( known since 2924) ( but occasionally would struggle to say no to cheese and ice cream) so is now trying to be100% dairy free.
He chooses fish as first choice protein but is now consciously staying away from red meat.

Sugar is his nemesis diet wise-- usually has a pack of black current hard boiled sweets on the go!

So lots joining in Add aspirin privately it seems!

Fingers crossed

Clare

User
Posted 05 Mar 2017 at 21:27

On the day my urologist told me I had cancer, he immediately put me on aspirin, vitamin D and a statin. It's not a trial - this is what he sees as the way forward. I'm on 75mg of aspirin per day. The most important thing about the aspirin is that it should be enteric coated/gastro-resistant to prevent stomach damage.


Ulsterman

Edited by member 06 Mar 2017 at 14:58  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 06 Mar 2017 at 01:04

Hi Guys,


There was quite a persuasive article in the newspapers a couple of years ago, I am guessing January 2015, might have been 2014, I think it was the Times, by a doctor or professor from Oxford, I took the newspaper article in to show my GP and she agreed to put me on a 75mg junior aspirin tablet, I have been on it ever since.


I put a post on here at the time and Lynn Eyre came back with some knowledge she had picked up which suggested aspirin disrupts the micro-electrics within the tumour.


I work on the basis that aspirin is a natural product and the 75mg tablets are designed to be safe for children, so whether or not it helps, it can't do much harm.


:)


Dave

User
Posted 06 Mar 2017 at 10:39

Aspirin is one of the best medicines around: helps reduce embolic CVAs, MIs and multiple other disasters, and now there's circumstantial evidence that it has a role in cancer prevention. I'd be interested in evidence of recurrence prevention - but I've seen none so far.

And side effects are few. If you can take it, chances are you'll never have an issue with it. But some can't take it - even the 75mg dose - because of the gastric issue. Enteric coated aspirin can get round that short term, and there are drugs to reduce gastric acid (eg ranitidine). But neither offers a solution for long-term use.

Interesting that aspirin is one of the oldest 'orthodox' remedies in use, and one of the most useful - it has often been suggested that everyone over 55 who can, should take one a day. But if aspirin were invented tomorrow, it would not pass the acceptance rules for new medicines. Hurrah for "Grandfather Rights".

User
Posted 08 Mar 2017 at 20:24
Hi I've just received the letter from him and part of it says due to me having nerve sparing and there was a 50% risk of extra prostatic extension.
Also he says unfortunately prostrate cancer extends to the right posterior margin and the Hostipathologists have called this t3
Also he says my psa is 0.1 ,ideally it should be less at this stage and it's not considered recurrence of PC until it's 0.2
Then he goes on about seeing an oncologist
User
Posted 08 Mar 2017 at 22:03
Sorry guys bit I am going to add cold water to this Trevor has been on aspirin 75mgrms for around 12 years plus statins for the same amount of time due his heart issues.. I suppose to be fair no it didn't stop him getting pca but has it helped him survive longer ?
Apparently 95% of doctors take it .
BFN
Julie X
NEVER LAUGH AT A LIVE DRAGON
User
Posted 11 Apr 2017 at 22:02
I was going to post a query about the aspirin trial and found this thread.

OH has been asked to participate in this, and has agreed. He has four brothers, two sons and four nephews, and feels it's his duty to do so. We haven't been told much about it, only that they will contact us after the radiotherapy has finished (last one today).

My concerns;

1. the level of aspirin on one of the arms- 300mg. That seems a lot higher than the 75mg that is bandied around. Is it safe?

2. OH is taking daily cialis. Will the two interact?

3. He has had stomach acid issues in the past (and again when he started cialis) - will this affect him again?

Could someone please post a link to info about the trial

Thanks
User
Posted 12 Apr 2017 at 11:40

Hi Trevor...everyone


 


All studies I've seen (re. Aspirin and PC)...do not imply that taking Aspirin would prevent PC...but simply Reduce the Risk of Dying From Prostate Cancer...ie; Mets.


******


"...the risk developing lethal prostate cancer was 24% lower in men who took aspirin on a regular basis, explained lead investigator Christopher Brian Allard, MD, a urologic oncology fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston."


"Men with prostate cancer who took aspirin regularly had a 39% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer," said Dr Allard."


"However, aspirin use did not measurably reduce the overall incidence of prostate cancer. It also did not prevent high-grade cancers or locally advanced prostate cancers, Dr Allard noted."


 


"..an earlier study showed that anticoagulants reduced the risk of dying from the disease from 10% to 4% at 10 years, and that the benefit was greatest with aspirin use."


******


So it could be that the anticoagulants effects of Aspirin may prevent rogue cancer cells from "settling" down anywhere before the white blood cells kills them?


 


Regards


 


 


 

User
Posted 12 Apr 2017 at 15:20

There could also be an argument that the men who joined the trial survived longer because they tended to be more aware of health & lifestyle factors, were more closely monitored, etc etc. But I guess that is why they are now running a UK trial - to find out.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 13 Apr 2017 at 22:21
Is there a link I can follow to find details of the uk trial please?
User
Posted 13 Apr 2017 at 23:43
User
Posted 17 Apr 2017 at 10:17
Perfect thank you Lyn
 
Forum Jump  
Email this conversation Print this conversation

Similar Topics

Add aspirin trials by Puffingbilly
in Social

Join the online community now.

Click through to become a member and gain access to support, information and real time replies.




MenuTop ▲
©2025 Prostate Cancer UK