A limitation of the present study is that it is based
on a relatively small cohort, which yielded a small number
of patients. However, in spite of the small number
of patients, we found a statistically significant 80-9070
reduction in the incidence of esophageal cancer for aspirin
users. Our findings are consistent with those from
the Cancer Prevention Study 11, the only previous epidemiologic
study that investigated the relation of aspirin
use to esophageal cancer.' Those investigators reported
a 40% lower mortality rate from esophageal cancer
among subjects who reported using aspirin 16 or
more times per month compared with never users and a
20% lower mortality rate among subjects who reported
using aspirin 1-15 times per month.'