Researchers focus on genetic variation
Dartmouth researchers are among a team of doctors that have learned more
about how people may or may not benefit from taking aspirin in the effort to
curb colon cancer. Their study, which appeared in the October 18 issue of the
Journal of the
National Cancer Institute, finds that the beneficial effect of aspirin
may be limited to individuals who have a specific genetic variation in their
ODC gene.
Elizabeth Barry (Courtesy of Elizabeth Barry)
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"There is evidence that aspirin and related anti-inflammatory drugs can
reduce the risk of colorectal adenomas [polyps] and cancer," says Elizabeth Barry,
research assistant professor of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School (DMS), and one
the authors of the study. "And with this study, we looked closer at the
impact of aspirin in people who have a higher risk of developing colorectal
adenomas, which lead to cancer, by examining their ODC genotype. So now we know
that aspirin appears to work better in people who have this slight genetic
variation, and this finding could potentially be clinically useful in the
future by allowing physicians to predict which individuals are likely to
benefit from aspirin use for colorectal cancer chemoprevention."
The researchers studied 973 subjects over three years as part of the
Aspirin/Folate Polyp Prevention Study. In a randomized manner, some were given
aspirin and some were given placebos. Almost half of the participants carried
one or two copies of the ODC genetic variation. The study found that there was
no association between carrying the genetic variation and the occurrence of new
adenomas, but the genotype did influence the effect of aspirin on adenoma
development. Those with the ODC genetic variation were 23 percent less likely
to develop new adenomas and 49 percent less likely to develop more advanced
lesions, which also lead to cancer.
Other authors on the paper include John A. Baron and
Maria V. Grau, from DMS; Shubha Bhat and Thomas G. O'Brien from the Institute for Medical Research in
Wynnewood, Penn.; Carol A. Burke from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Robert
S. Sandler from the University of
North Carolina; Dennis J. Ahnen from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
in Denver; and Robert W. Haile from the University of Southern California, Los
Angeles.
This study was funded by the National
Cancer Institute.
By SUSAN KNAPP
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