Study: Aspirin cuts colorectal cancer recurrence in half

A new study suggests a medicine cabinet mainstay could be helpful in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer coming back.

A small dose of aspirin was shown to halve recurrences of colorectal cancer in those who were in remission, only for it to return, according to Swedish researchers.

The study included more than 3,500 patients with colon and rectal cancer from dozens of hospitals in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Patients whose tumors showed a specific genetic mutation in the PIK3CA signaling pathway.

The mutation, according to Medical Xpress, was found in approximately 40 percent of patients. Those patients were randomly chosen to receive either 160 mg of aspirin daily or a placebo for three years after surgery.

For patients with the genetic mutation in PIK3, the risk of recurrence was reduced by 55% in those who received aspirin compared with the placebo group.

The National Library of Medicine, however, notes that data from the randomized trials are lacking.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2025, there will be about 107,320 new cases of colon cancer and 46,950 new cases of rectal cancer.