Science / Medicine : Aspirin May Cut Colon Cancer Risk

Regular use of aspirin, which already has been found to protect against heart attacks and some strokes, may also significantly lower the risk of colon and rectal cancer, Massachusetts researchers reported last week.

A research team led by Lynn Rosenberg of the Boston University School of Medicine studied 1,326 patients with colon or rectal cancer and compared their intake of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, to 1,011 patients with other cancers and 3,880 cancer-free patients.

“The risk of large-bowel cancer was approximately halved” among people who had regularly used aspirin, they reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The researchers said the protective effect may result from aspirin’s inhibition of the production of prostaglandins, which may stimulate tumor development.