A genetic variation (G315A) in the ODC gene may change a person's response to aspirin given for colorectal cancer prevention.

Elizabeth Barry, Ph.D., of the Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H., and colleagues assessed the effect of the ODC genotype in 973 patients in the Aspirin/Folate Polyp Prevention Study who were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or aspirin. They were followed for three years to see if they developed colorectal adenomas, a type of polyp. The G315A variation in the ODC gene was not associated with colorectal adenoma incidence overall. However, subjects with at least one variant gene had a lower risk of developing colorectal adenomas if they were taking aspirin while subjects without the gene mutation did not benefit from aspirin treatment.

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Other highlights in the October 18 JNCI

Contact: Susan Knapp

Note: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute is published by Oxford University Press and is not affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. Attribution to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is requested in all news coverage. Visit the Journal online at http://jncicancerspectrum.oxfordjournals.org/.

Contact: Ariel Whitworth
Journal of the National Cancer Institute