Aspirin Therapy Reduces Colon Cancer Risk

John Baron, MD, professor of medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, and leader of a study of 1,121 people who had polyps removed during routine cancer screening, presented at a meeting of the American

Association for Cancer Research. ,In a recent study, daily use of baby-strength aspirin-81 milligrams-reduced the recurrence of colon polyps by 19% in people who had polyps removed previously. Polyps can become cancerous.

If you have a family history of colon cancer: Ask your doctor whether you should take a daily low-dose aspirin.

Caution: Don’t start aspirin therapy if you are allergic to aspirin or have bleeding problems.