Study: Laxatives Containing PEG May Cut Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Use of laxatives containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) may reduce the risk of colorectal polyps and cancer by 50 percent, according to French researchers.

PEG is a nonabsorbed, nonmetabolized, water-soluble polymer that has been used to treat constipation in France since 1996, and it was recently approved for use as a laxative in the United States and Canada.

In a study in France involving 1,165 patients who had a routine screening colonoscopy, 28 percent were found to have were found to have precancerous polyps and 2 percent had colorectal cancer.

Of those who used the PEG-based laxative Forlax, which contains the highest dose of PEG, the risk of colorectal polyps and cancer was reduced by half, researchers reported.

"This encouraging discovery reveals the potential prevention properties of PEG-based laxatives for colorectal cancer," said Dr. Denis E. Corpet of Toulouse, France. "I am confident that if PEG were taken regularly, many colorectal cancer tumors could be regressed or prevented, as we observed in this study and in studies of rats.

"In this study population, PEG use appears to be more protective than aspirin," Corpet told the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. "The striking results of preclinical trials and this epidemiological study should be confirmed in a clinical trial."

Other sources: Dr. Denis E. Corpet