Continued usage of low-dose aspirin may reduce pancreatic cancer risk, new research shows. The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Harvey A. Risch, MD, PhD, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, said in a statement, “We found that the use of low-dose aspirin was associated with cutting the risk of pancreatic cancer in half, with some evidence that the longer low-dose aspirin was used, the lower the risk.” He continued, “Because about one in 60 adults will get pancreatic cancer and the five-year survival rate is less than 5 percent, it is crucial to find ways to prevent this disease.”

There was a 48 percent reduction in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer among men and women who took low-dose aspirin on a routine basis. Individuals who took low-dose aspirin for six years or less had a 39 percent reduction in their risk for developing pancreatic cancer, while there was a 60 percent reduction in risk for individuals taking low-dose aspirin for over 10 years.

According to Risch, “Older studies of aspirin use have been clouded by the use of [regular- or high-dose] aspirin for pain relief from conditions that themselves might be related to the risk for pancreatic cancer. Only recently have people been using low-dose aspirin for long enough times [to prevent cardiovascular disease] that the use might bear on risk of pancreatic cancer development.”

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 46,420 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2014. Of those individuals, roughly 39,590 will die from the disease.