A groundbreaking Scandinavian trial reveals that a daily low-dose aspirin can reduce the recurrence of colorectal cancer by over 50% in patients with specific genetic tumor mutations.
October 4, 2025
Source:
Medical Xpress
Major Trial Confirms Aspirin's Power
A landmark Scandinavian study has confirmed that a cheap, common drug can prevent colorectal cancer from returning. A daily low-dose aspirin (160 mg) was found to cut the risk of recurrence by 55% in a specific group of patients.
The findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, are the result of the ALASCCA trial, which involved over 3,500 patients across 33 hospitals in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. This is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial to prove aspirin's effectiveness in this context, moving beyond previous observational data.
The benefit was seen in patients whose tumors contained mutations in the PIK3 signaling pathway, which is present in roughly 40% of colorectal cancer cases.
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Source:
ScienceDaily
A New Era of Precision Medicine
This study marks a significant step forward for precision medicine, where treatment is tailored to the genetic makeup of a patient's tumor.
Targeting a Specific Genetic Flaw
The PIK3 pathway is crucial for regulating cell growth. When it mutates, it can lead to the uncontrolled proliferation that defines cancer. While aspirin doesn't target the gene directly, its known effects create an environment hostile to cancer cell survival.
Anti-inflammatory Action: Chronic inflammation is a known driver of cancer progression.
Platelet Inhibition: Aspirin prevents platelets from clumping, a process that can help cancer cells spread.
Tumor Suppression: It appears to suppress the pathways that allow tumors to grow and metastasize.
"This shifts treatment from a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to one based on the specific biology of the tumor," noted researchers at the Karolinska Institutet, which co-led the study.
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Source:
The Guardian
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