Does Aspirin Protect Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection?

Although oral antiviral agents are effective in suppressing hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and in reducing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk, there is still residual cancer risk. Also, not all HBV-infected patients qualify for antiviral therapy, and access can be an issue.

To evaluate whether daily aspirin has a chemopreventive effect for HBV-related HCC, investigators retrospectively assessed HCC incidence in over 10,000 HBV-infected patients in Taiwan (72% men). Over 2100 patients who had received at least 90 days of aspirin therapy (median duration, 3 years) were randomly matched in a 1:4 ratio with patients who did not receive aspirin therapy. Aspirin dosage was ≤100 mg/day in 98% of users. HCC cases that developed within 180 days o…