Can Aspirin Prevent Cancer Metastasis? | Rahul Roychoudhuri | 216

Short Summary: The science of cancer and immunity with Dr. Rahul Roychoudhuri, blending cutting-edge research with everyday implications like aspirin’s role in fighting tumor metastasis.

About the guest: Rahul Roychoudhuri, PhD is a Professor of Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Cambridge, where he studies how the immune system interacts with cancer to improve therapies. His research bridges basic science and clinical applications, focusing on immune responses to cancer development and spread.

Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.

Episode Summary: Nick Jikomes interviews Rahul Roychoudhuri on the immune system’s role in detecting and fighting cancer, particularly how cancer cells evade immunity through selection pressures and microenvironment manipulation. They explore cancer initiation via mutations and inflammation, metastasis mechanics, and a surprising link between low-dose aspirin and reduced cancer spread, spotlighting Roychoudhuri’s research on T cells and thromboxane. The discussion ties in dietary fats, aspirin’s anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects, and the potential for new immunotherapies to prevent metastasis.

Key Takeaways:

The immune system constantly surveils and eliminates early cancer cells, but surviving cancers evolve to dodge detection.

Inflammation can both spark cancer growth and be exploited by tumors to suppress helpful immune responses.

Cancer metastasis, responsible for ~90% of cancer deaths, involves cells breaking off, traveling, and adapting to new sites.

New research shows aspirin may curb metastasis by lowering thromboxane, a lipid-derived blood clotting factor.

Human data hints aspirin reduces metastasis risk in cancers like breast and colorectal, but trials are ongoing.

Daily low-dose aspirin (75-100 mg) is used for heart health, yet its cancer benefits need more study. 600 mg per day has been observed to reduce metastasis rates in colon cancer patients, but chronic use of that dose carries some risk (ulcers, bleeding).

*Not medical advice.

00:00:00 Intro
00:05:55 Cancer Immunosurveillance
00:11:56 Mouse Models & Selection Pressure
00:18:09 Tumor Microenvironment
00:25:43 Inflammation and Cancer
00:34:33 Immune Evasion Tactics
00:40:37 Aspirin Basics
00:48:01 Aspirin & Cancer Connection
00:56:23 Research on ARHGEF1 Gene
01:05:24 Aspirin’s Anti-Metastatic Effect
01:13:01 Lynch Syndrome & Aspirin
01:20:11 Clinical Trials & Metastasis Impact
01:22:48 Final Thoughts on Immunotherapy