WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Earlier studies had suggested that aspirin might block cancers with certain genetic mutations, especially in the PIK3 signaling pathway, which plays a role in cancer growth.
Recently, researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital studied 626 people with stage 1 to 3 colon or rectal cancer who had certain genetic mutations in their tumors.
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people who took aspirin daily were upto 55 percent less likely to have their cancer return within three years compared to those who took a placebo.
In the aspirin group, 7.7 percent experienced a recurrence, while in the placebo group, the risk ranged from 14.1 percent to 16.8 percent, depending on the type of mutation.
Researchers believe that aspirin may help fight cancer in several ways. It can reduce inflammation, slow tumor growth, and prevent platelets, a type of blood cell, from helping cancer cells spread.
'Aspirin is a drug that is readily available globally and extremely inexpensive compared to many modern cancer drugs, which is very positive,' said Anna Martling from Karolinska Institute.
'Although we do not yet fully understand all the molecular links, the findings strongly support the biological rationale and suggest that the treatment may be particularly effective in genetically defined subgroups of patients,' added Martling.
However, aspirin also poses certain risks, such as internal bleeding. More research is needed to understand exactly how aspirin works against colorectal cancer and to determine which patients might benefit the most.
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