Acetylsalicylic Acid Compared to Placebo in Treating High-Risk Patients With Subsolid Lung Nodules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Asymptomatic current or former smokers (having stopped within the last 20 years)
* Smoking history \>= 20 pack/years; subjects must be included in an ongoing annual screening with low dose CT scan or must have two consecutive CT outside the context of a screening program confirming subsolid nodules
* Subjects must have subsolid (non solid or partially solid) nodules with size between 4 and 10 mm with any volume doubling time (VDT) not candidate to surgical excision and/or subsolid (non solid or partially solid) nodule larger than 10 mm with VDT higher than 400 days and not candidate to surgical excision
* All nodules should be persistent at least after three months follow up with 1 dimension (1d)-CT; a reduction up to 15% of the diameter of the largest target nodule from the previous CT scan is allowed
* All current smokers should accept to receive support for smoking cessation
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 1 (Karnofsky \>= 70%)
* Leukocytes \>= 3,000/microliter
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/microliter
* Platelets \>= 100,000/microliter
* Total bilirubin =\< 2 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) and/or history of Gilbert's syndrome
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 1.5 x institutional ULN
* Serum creatinine =\< institutional ULN
* Women of child-bearing potential (from first menstruation to 1 year after last menstruation) must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her study physician immediately
* Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
* Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects with chronic treatment (at least twice/week for more than 3 months) with aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
* History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to aspirin, NSAIDs, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) inhibitors
* Invasive malignancy (with the exclusion of basal cell carcinoma or skin squamous cell carcinoma) diagnosed during the last 2 years before randomization; stage I-II invasive malignancies that were diagnosed more than 2 years prior to randomization and have been treated curatively are allowed as long as all treatment is finished at least 18 months prior to randomization
* History of therapeutic doses of anticoagulants including warfarin and low molecular weight heparin (e.g. for prior deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms) in the preceding year
* Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
* Pregnant women are excluded from this study; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with aspirin
* Individual may not be receiving any other investigational agents, antiplatelet agents (e.g. aspirin, clopidogrel \[Plavix or others\]), anticoagulants (e.g. heparin or heparinoids, Coumadin, or others), methotrexate, lithium
* Participants with bleeding diathesis, history of gastric/duodenal ulcers in the last 5 years, NSAID-precipitated bronchospasm, patients unwilling or unable to limit alcohol consumption to i.e. =\< 3 alcohol drinks a day
* Participants who in the opinion of the principal investigator (PI) will be at higher risk of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)-related complications
* Participants with known inability to adequately absorb oral medication