A low dose of aspirin each day may significantly reduce the chances of colon and rectal cancer returning in certain cases, a new clinical trial has found.

Led by researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden, the study involved 626 people with stages 1 to 3 colon or rectal cancer, and specific genetic mutations in the cancer tumors.

Previous studies have suggested that cancers with these mutations – specifically in the PIK3 signaling pathway – could be targeted by aspirin, but this is the first time the hypothesis has been tested in a randomized clinical trial.