A new study has found that taking a small daily dose of aspirin could help stop colon cancer from returning in some patients. The research shows that a 160-milligram aspirin pill each day can cut the risk of cancer coming back by half in patients with specific gene mutations.
The study was presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco and was also published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Researchers believe these findings could quickly change how doctors treat some colon cancer patients.
How Aspirin Helps Certain Patients
Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and it can be difficult to treat, especially when it returns after treatment. Scientists have found that about 30% of colon cancer patients have mutations in their PI3K genes. These mutations can make the cancer more aggressive and harder to cure.
Researchers discovered that for people with a mutation in the PIK3CA gene, daily aspirin reduced their risk of cancer coming back by 51%. Among those who took aspirin, only 7.7% saw their cancer return, compared to 14.1% of those who took a placebo (a pill with no active ingredient).
Aspirin also helped patients with other PI3K mutations, lowering their risk of cancer recurrence by 58%. In this group, only 7.7% of aspirin users had a recurrence, compared to 16.8% in the placebo group.
Overall, taking aspirin made patients 55% less likely to experience a cancer relapse.
The Study Behind the Findings
The study involved more than 600 patients from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. These patients had moderate to advanced colon cancer or rectal cancer. Researchers randomly assigned them to take either daily aspirin or a placebo for three years.
By comparing the results, they confirmed that aspirin had a significant effect in patients with specific genetic changes in their tumors.
Minimal Side Effects
One concern with aspirin use is the risk of side effects, such as stomach bleeding. However, in this study, serious side effects were rare. Only one patient experienced severe gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, one had brain bleeding, and one had an allergic reaction.
Dr. Pamela Kunz, chief of gastrointestinal oncology at Yale School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, commented on the findings. She said, “The old saying ‘take two aspirin and call me in the morning’ may now have a new meaning.”
She added that this simple and affordable treatment could be life-changing for many colon cancer patients.
What This Means for Cancer Treatment
These findings suggest that doctors may soon consider prescribing low-dose aspirin to colon cancer patients who have PI3K gene mutations. Because aspirin is a common, inexpensive medication, this could be an easy way to reduce the risk of cancer returning.
However, before this becomes a routine treatment, researchers still need to confirm these results in more studies and evaluate the long-term benefits and risks.
For now, patients should talk to their doctors before starting aspirin therapy, especially if they have a history of bleeding problems or other medical conditions. But for many people with colon cancer, this simple daily pill could offer new hope for keeping cancer away.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about a new method to treat cancer effectively, and this low-dose, four-drug combo may block cancer spread.
For more information about cancer prevention, please see recent studies about nutrient in fish that can be a poison for cancer, and results showing this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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