A new report from the Nurse’s Health Study finds that regular, long-term aspirin use can significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, as suggested by several earlier studies. However, the benefit appears to require more than a decade and is strongest at dose levels associated with a greater risk of side effects such as bleeding. Similar results were found for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen and naproxen. The report – from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – appears in the August 24 Journal of the American Medical Association.
