Aspirin may help ward off colon cancer in high-risk individuals. A study of more than 1,000 people with Lynch syndrome, which makes them especially susceptible to colon cancer, found 10 fewer cases of colon cancer in the group that got aspirin. There were 16 cancers detected among the placebo group over the course of ten years. This is not the first time aspirin use has been associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. This is, however, the first study demonstrating benefit in highly vulnerable people. The researchers point out that aspirin can trigger serious side effects, such as bleeding ulcers. Long-term aspirin use should always be monitored by a health care professional.
[ECCO-ESMO European cancer congress, Berlin, 9/21/09]
