Study: Aspirin Daily Reduces Risk of New Colon Polyps

A daily dose of aspirin appears to significantly reduce the development of new colon polyps among people at higher risk, suggesting that it could help lower the incidence of colorectal cancer, according to researchers.

Two separate studies found that taking aspirin every day reduced the chances of developing growths that can turn into tumors among people with a history of polyps or colon cancer.

The findings, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, provide the most definitive evidence yet that the aspirin can reduce the risk for colon cancer.

In one study, Robert S. Sandler of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and colleagues followed 517 patients who had previously had colon cancer. Half were given a regular 325 mg aspirin each day and the other half received a placebo.

The study was halted after about a year when researchers realized those taking aspirin were about 35 percent less likely to develop new adenomas, a type of polyp prone to turning into colon cancer.

In the other studies, researchers found that among 1,121 patients who had previously had polyps removed, those given a daily 81 milligram baby aspirin had their risk of new polyps lowered by 19 percent. For reasons the researchers could not explain, those in the group receiving a regular 325 mg aspirin daily did not gain the same reduction in risk..

"These studies are very important for the field of cancer prevention," said Ernest T. Hawk of the National Cancer Institute. "I would imagine there are a lot of patients that will choose to take an aspirin to try to decrease their risk."

But an editorial in the journal cautioned that research is continuing, and taking aspirin cannot at this point be viewed as a magic bullet for preventing colorectal cancer.

"Although aspirin may be of some benefit in preventing colorectal cancer, it cannot yet be recommended for this...and is not a substitute for screening," wrote Dr. Thomas F. Imperiale of Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

Other sources: New England Journal of Medicine