Cancer cells thrive owing to different means of survival and proliferation. But despite growing understanding of the biology of cancer and the mechanism of tumorigenesis, complete knowledge of what causes cancer is still lacking. There are multiple hypotheses as to what drives cells to become malignant. One of them is the Warburg effect, which supports that an increase in glycolysis over oxidative respiration, even in the presence of oxygen, may be the cause of cancer. But this premise has not yet been confirmed. In 'Bench to Bedside', Michael Ohh peruses a recent study showing a common mutation in people with renal cell carcinoma and melanoma that may rekindle the debate as to whether a metabolic switch is a major driver in cancer and whether it has potential as a therapeutic target. Every so often, an 'old' drug seems to work for a condition that was not previously known. Two recent human studies show that aspirin can prevent colorectal cancer in people genetically predisposed to this disease after several years after treatment. In 'Bedside to Bench', Patrick Maxwell discusses the possible mechanisms of action of aspirin in decreasing the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
