Sulfasalazine, a therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis, inhibits the growth of CD44v9+ cancer stem cells in ulcerative colitis-related cancer

Summary Background and objective Sulfasalazine reduces the risk of ulcerative colitis (UC)-related cancer through its anti-inflammatory effect and induction of oxidative stress in cancer cells by inhibiting the glutamate–cystine transporter, which is closely associated with the cancer stem cell surface marker CD44v9. This study aimed to quantify the effects of sulfasalazine on CD44v9 expression and pathological factors in colorectal cancers (CRCs) arising from UC. Methods Twenty-six patients with UC-related cancer were classified into groups according to the length of sulfasalazine treatment as follows: (1) long-term (LT) (≥ 5 years) and (2) short-term (ST) (