Aspirin and the risk of colorectal cancer in relation to the expression of COX-2

N Engl J Med. 2007 May 24;356(21):2131-42. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa067208.

Abstract

Background: Regular use of aspirin reduces the risk of a colorectal neoplasm, but the mechanism by which aspirin affects carcinogenesis in the colon is not well understood.

Methods: We estimated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression by immunohistochemical assay of sections from paraffin-embedded colorectal-cancer specimens from two large cohorts of participants who provided data on aspirin use from a questionnaire every 2 years. We applied Cox regression to a competing-risks analysis to compare the effects of aspirin use on the relative risk of colorectal cancer in relation to the expression of COX-2 in the tumor.

Results: During 2,446,431 person-years of follow-up of 82,911 women and 47,363 men, we found 636 incident colorectal cancers that were accessible for determination of COX-2 expression. Of the tumors, 423 (67%) had moderate or strong COX-2 expression. The effect of aspirin use differed significantly in relation to COX-2 expression (P for heterogeneity=0.02). Regular aspirin use conferred a significant reduction in the risk of colorectal cancers that overexpressed COX-2 (multivariate relative risk, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52 to 0.78), whereas regular aspirin use had no influence on tumors with weak or absent expression of COX-2 (multivariate relative risk, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.26). The age-standardized incidence rate for cancers that overexpressed COX-2 was 37 per 100,000 person-years among regular aspirin users, as compared with 56 per 100,000 person-years among those who did not use aspirin regularly; in contrast, the rate for cancers with weak or absent COX-2 expression was 27 per 100,000 person-years among regular aspirin users, as compared with 28 per 100,000 person-years among nonregular aspirin users.

Conclusions: Regular use of aspirin appears to reduce the risk of colorectal cancers that overexpress COX-2 but not the risk of colorectal cancers with weak or absent expression of COX-2.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / therapeutic use
  • Aspirin / pharmacology*
  • Aspirin / therapeutic use
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Cohort Studies
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / prevention & control
  • Cyclooxygenase 2 / metabolism*
  • Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Risk

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
  • Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors
  • Cyclooxygenase 2
  • Aspirin