A new study has found that aspirin can prevent the recurrence of certain bowel cancers—reducing the risk by half in some patients.     

Bowel cancer, which encompasses both rectal and colon cancer, is noted for being one of the most aggressive and challenging types of cancer to treat. It often leads to metastasis, meaning secondary cancer incidents are frequently diagnosed in other parts of the body.

Globally, nearly two million individuals receive a diagnosis of colorectal cancer annually, with 20 to 40 percent of these cases experiencing metastasis.

A recent clinical study by Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, investigated the reaction of individuals with a specific genetic mutation to a widely used painkiller, which costs as little as 3p per tablet.

The focus was on individuals possessing a mutation in their PIK3 signaling pathway—an internal biological “instruction network” responsible for directing cellular responses to certain stressors and regulating cell growth and division.

If this signaling pathway is malfunctioning or defective, it may lead to continuous cell division, resulting in uncontrolled cell growth and cancer, particularly in the bowel.

They enlisted over 3,500 bowel cancer patients from 33 hospitals across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Testing indicated that about 40 percent of these patients had the PIK3 mutation.

These patients were then randomised and for the three years following their cancer removal surgeries, were prescribed either 160 mg of aspirin daily or a placebo. 

For patients with the genetic mutation in PIK3 who took aspirin, the risk of metastasis was reduced by 55 percent compared with the placebo group. 

Aspirin could be an affordable treatment against cancer

Study lead Anna Martling, professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, and senior consultant surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital said aspirin can be used to reduce both suffering AND the cost of cancer care. 

She said: ‘Aspirin is a drug that is readily available globally and extremely inexpensive compared to many modern cancer drugs, which is very positive.

‘Aspirin is being tested here in a completely new context as a precision medicine treatment. 

‘This is a clear example of how we can use genetic information to personalise treatment and at the same time save both resources and suffering.’

The new study came after previous observational studies suggested that aspirin may reduce the risk of certain cancers. 

It had also been theorised that it could reduce the risk of post-surgical recurrence in bowel cancer patients with the PIK3 mutation.

This was the first randomised clinical trial which confirmed the association, and researchers believe that it is most likely to do with aspirin’s ability to ‘reduce inflammation and make the internal environment less favorable for cancer cells’.

Professor Martling added: ‘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.’

Bowel cancer can cause you to have blood in your poo, a change in bowel habit, or a lump inside your bowel which can cause an obstruction. Some people also suffer from weight loss as a result of these symptoms

Around 44,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK, with about 130,000 in the US.

The disease kills almost 17,000 Britons each year, with the death toll rising to about 50,000 in America.  

Overall, just over half of bowel cancer patients are expected to be alive 10 years after their diagnosis.

Aspirin is a medicine that contains acetylsalicylic acid, and is used to relieve pain, fever, and inflammation, with effects usually felt in 30 minutes.

It can also be used in low doses to prevent blood clots. 

However, due to common side effects which include stomach problems, it is advised that people with stomach ulcers, bleeding disorders, or asthma should avoid the common over the counter pill.