A new study published in Cancer reveals that aspirin has great potential in cancer treatment, particularly in boosting the immune system's ability to fight certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer (CRC), which is one of the fastest growing cancers in recent years.

A substantial body of research, including a notable Harvard study, has suggested that a regular regimen of low doses of aspirin could prevent around 11% of colorectal cancers and 8% of gastrointestinal cancers diagnosed annually in the US.

Despite these promising findings, the exact mechanisms by which aspirin affects the growth and metastasis of RCC are unclear, and it is difficult to obtain comprehensive long-term data.

The new research investigated this issue by analyzing the clinical and pathological records of 238 RCC patients treated from 2015 to 2019. Among these patients, 31 were regular aspirin users, taking 100 mg of the drug daily.

This group, called the METACCRE cohort, underwent detailed histological analysis focusing on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), immunohistochemistry and mutation data.

Further data was obtained from a subset of 130 patients from the IMMUNOREACT1 cohort, which focused on immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry.

The results revealed that regular aspirin use was associated with limited nodal metastasis and a greater presence of TILs - T and B cells capable of recognizing and destroying cancer cells.

Particularly in the IMMUNOREACT1 cohort, people taking aspirin had a significantly higher expression of epithelial CD80, a protein crucial for the activation of anti-cancer immune cells, even in healthy rectal mucosa - a site not expected to be affected by aspirin, given its low bioavailability in that area, reveals New Atlas.

How aspirin stops the growth and spread of colorectal cancer
Around 29 million people in the US take a daily dose of aspirin as a preventative measure for cardiovascular disease. And while an age-related increased risk of bleeding has seen it fall out of favor with medical authorities, it’s now shaping up as something that might be even more beneficial in…
New AtlasDepositphotos

Aspirin can therefore play a dual role in the prevention or treatment of cancer. Not only does it inhibit inflammation, but it also appears to increase the immune system's ability to recognize and attack RCC cells, thus limiting the spread of the tumour and potentially serving as a valuable immunotherapy tool.

Research suggests that aspirin's impact on cancer may go beyond its well-known anti-inflammatory effects, prompting a re-evaluation of how to optimize its administration in the colorectal tract to maximize its anti-cancer benefits.