Does an Aspirin a Day Keep Colorectal Polyps at Bay?
NEW ORLEANS--There's striking new evidence that the use of NSAIDs retards
formation of colorectal adenomas.
In a four-year follow-up in the NIH's prospective Polyp Prevention Trial,
there was a 23% reduction in overall adenoma recurrence among those who'd
used NSAIDS at baseline. In advanced polyps, there was a 49% drop in the
risk of recurrence. For multiple polyps, there was a marginal protective effect.
The principal purpose of the 2,000-patient randomized study had been to see
whether intervention with a diet high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables and low in
fat would reduce the risk of recurrent adenomatous polyps. It did not.
But NSAID use was another matter, Dr. Joseph Anthony Tangrea and colleagues in
the Polyp Prevention Trial Study Group reported at the American Association for
Cancer Research meeting here this week.
Starting with baseline after removal of polyps discovered by screening, the
investigators kept track of participants using NSAIDS, of whom 69% took aspirin
daily. They found a significant dose-response effect of aspirin on overall
adenoma recurrence, with those taking more than one aspirin (325 mg) per day at
baseline showing a 44% reduction in risk.
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