dless of age, sex, race or country of origin of patients studied (all of which affect the general rate of colorectal cancer) and that the effect was also seen in individuals with a family history of colorectal cancer in a first degree family relative (which increases lifetime risk of an individual acquiring the disease by two to four times).
The authors conclude: "Use of 300mg or more of aspirin a day for about five years is effective in primary prevention of colorectal cancer, with a latency of about 10 years, which is consistent with findings from observational studies.
"Long-term follow up is required from other randomised trials to establish the effects of lower or less frequent doses of aspirin."
In an accompanying comment, Dr Andrew Chan, Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, says: "Rothwell and colleagues results, when viewed in the context of the preponderance of laboratory studies, epidemiological data, and adenoma recurrence trials, do provide convincing evidence that aspirin, at biologically relevant doses, can reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer.
"However, with the concerns about the potential risks of long-term aspirin use and the availability of alternative prevention strategies (e.g. screening), these findings are not sufficient to warrant a recommendation for the general population to use aspirin for cancer prevention."
'"/>Contact: Peter Rothwell
peter.rothwell@clneuro.ox.ac.uk
44-186-561-7158
Lancet 10-May-2007Page: 1 2 Related medicine news :1.
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