Daily aspirin use strongly tied to colorectal cancer prevention

How many times have you reached for a bottle of aspirin to combat an ache or pain? Found in practically every home, this seemingly minor pill is now emerging as a major player in the fight against colorectal cancer, particularly for individuals with less than healthy lifestyle habits. 

This surprising discovery is a result of the latest research by Mass General Brigham, a prominent health care institution renowned for its pioneering investigations.

Combating colorectal cancer with aspirin

This encouraging research was spearheaded by Dr. Andrew Chan, the Director of Epidemiology for the Mass General Cancer Center, and the Gastroenterology Director of the Center for Young Adult Colorectal Cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). 

The study aimed to combat colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The study aimed to find individuals who could gain the most benefits from aspirin. This will help create more personalized prevention strategies.

The researchers had to painstakingly sift through health data of 107,655 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, comparing colorectal cancer rates among routine aspirin users and those who used it less frequently.

Aspirin use types

You might be wondering what ‘regular aspirin use’ implies. It was categorized as either two or more standard 325mg tablets per week, or a daily low-dose 81mg aspirin. 

The intrigue escalates – the participants, who started the study at an average age of roughly 49.4, who regularly consumed aspirin had a 10-year cumulative colorectal cancer incidence of 1.98%, compared to 2.95% for the non-aspirin users.

The study found that aspirin use was most beneficial for those who led less healthy lifestyles. 

People with the lowest healthy lifestyle scores — looking at things like weight, how often they smoke or drink, how active they are, and how well they eat — had a 3.4% chance of getting colorectal cancer if they didn’t use aspirin regularly. This risk went down to 2.12% for those who took aspirin regularly.

Colorectal cancer risk lowered by aspirin

“Our results show that aspirin can proportionally lower the markedly elevated risk in those with multiple risk factors for colorectal cancer,” said Daniel Sikavi, MD, lead author of the paper and a gastroenterologist at MGH. 

“In contrast, those with a healthier lifestyle have a lower baseline risk of colorectal cancer, and, therefore, their benefit from aspirin was still evident, albeit less pronounced.”

This suggests that though aspirin provides some level of protection to healthy people, those with unsound lifestyle habits receive proportionately increased benefits.

Is it time to use the pill?

This study’s results could lead healthcare providers to more robustly recommend aspirin to patients with less healthy lifestyles. 

However, it’s critical to remember, as Dr. Sikavi reminds us, that the strongest evidence supports daily low-dose (81mg) aspirin as a preventive measure.

Why aspirin, though?

Previous studies have shown that aspirin may help reduce the production of proteins that cause cancer by reducing inflammation in the body.

“Aspirin likely prevents colorectal cancer through multiple mechanisms,” Chan said.

Aspirin has several effects on cancer treatment. It can disrupt cell signaling pathways. Additionally, it modulates the immune response against cancer cells.

Aspirin also inhibits the development of blood vessels that nourish these cancer cells.

But, like any other drug, daily aspirin use can have side effects, such as potential bleeding. Moreover, while this study aimed to control a broad range of colorectal cancer risk factors, it was largely observational, implying other factors could have influenced the results.

Despite these potential limitations, aspirin’s prospective role in preventing colorectal cancer, especially among the high-risk population due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, is an undeniably significant medical advancement. 

And with further research, we may soon be able to identify the best candidates for aspirin use, leading us one step closer towards a world without colorectal cancer.

The ways in which these findings can be translated into practical, effective prevention strategies will unfold in time. So, keep an eye out – and do consider giving a small nod to the ordinary aspirin.

The study is published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

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