Aspirin, "Prevention of Colorectal Cancer Onset and Progression"

Italian Research Team, "Auxiliary Role in Cancer Prevention and Treatment"

Aspirin, which is most widely used to prevent cardiovascular diseases by inhibiting blood clot formation, has been found to prevent the onset and progression of colorectal cancer. It is believed that aspirin detects cancer cells and enhances immune responses.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

Dr. Marco Scarpa's team at the University of Padova in Italy announced on the 23rd in the American Cancer Society (ACS) journal Cancer that they discovered this fact by analyzing the correlation between long-term aspirin use and colorectal cancer using tissue samples from about 230 colorectal cancer surgery patients.

The research team collected tissue samples from 238 patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery between 2015 and 2019 and compared tissue differences between long-term aspirin users (12%) and non-users. They also analyzed gene expression changes when colorectal cancer cells were exposed to aspirin.

As a result, tissue samples from long-term aspirin users showed fewer cases of cancer metastasis to lymph nodes compared to non-users. Additionally, the level of tumor infiltration by immune cells was confirmed to be higher.

In experiments exposing colorectal cancer cells to aspirin, the expression of the CD80 protein gene, which detects the presence of tumor-related proteins in certain immune cells and sends warnings to other immune cells, was found to increase. Furthermore, the expression rate of CD80 in healthy rectal mucosal tissue was higher in aspirin users than in non-users. The research team explained that this indicates aspirin helps the immune system's tumor surveillance function.

There have been several studies showing that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin prevent various cancers, and it has been known that daily long-term aspirin use lowers the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer. However, the mechanism of this effect had not been clarified.

Dr. Scarpa said, "This study shows that aspirin can play an auxiliary role in cancer prevention or treatment," adding, "To utilize aspirin's effect on colorectal cancer, we need to consider methods to ensure aspirin reaches the colon at an appropriate dose to exert its effect."