{"id":61714,"date":"2025-10-05T02:30:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T02:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/61714\/"},"modified":"2025-10-05T02:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T02:30:12","slug":"should-you-take-aspirin-for-colon-or-rectal-cancer-dos-and-donts-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/61714\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you take aspirin for colon or rectal cancer? Dos and don\u2019ts explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759631411_836_1.jpg\" alt=\"Should you take aspirin for colon or rectal cancer? Dos and don\u2019ts explained\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/> Every day it seems there\u2019s a new headline asking whether a low-dose aspirin can ward off colorectal cancer or help patients beat it. Doctors know aspirin thins the blood and eases inflammation, and decades of research hinted it might also slow polyp growth or cancer spread.But the truth is not as simple as a yes or a no. Recent studies paint a mixed picture \u2013 with potential benefits for some people and real risks for others. As major health bodies have revised their advice, readers are left wondering: should I take aspirin for colon or rectal cancer?<\/p>\n<p>Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in India and it\u2019s fully treatable<\/p>\n<p>Who might benefit?<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone gains the same advantage from aspirin. New research suggests the biggest payoff is for those at higher risk. In one large US cohort <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamaoncology\/fullarticle\/2821928#:~:text=Findings%C2%A0%20In%20this%20cohort%20study,with%20aspirin%20use%20was%20similar\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">study<\/a>, people who led \u201cunhealthy\u201d lifestyles- marked by obesity, smoking, poor diet or heavy drinking, saw a sharper drop in colorectal cancer risk if they took aspirin regularly. For <a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2024\/08\/aspirin-may-help-cut-colorectal-cancer-risk\/#:~:text=The%20benefit%20of%20aspirin%20was,calculated%20based%20on%20body%20mass\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">example<\/a>, those with multiple risk factors had about a 3.4% ten-year risk of cancer without aspirin versus 2.1% with it.<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2\" msid=\"124313073\" width=\"\" title=\"\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"23456\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759631412_954_2.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/>By contrast, very healthy people barely gained much \u2013 their 1.5% risk fell only to 1.6% (essentially unchanged). In practical terms, treating 78 high-risk patients with aspirin might prevent one cancer over ten years, but you\u2019d need 909 healthy people on aspirin to spare one case.Experts say aspirin could \u201cproportionally lower the markedly elevated risk\u201d in those with many risk factors.Large population studies back this up. A recent Norwegian registry study of over two million people age 50\u201379 found that regular low-dose aspirin users had about 13% lower colorectal cancer incidence than non-users.Large population <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/ajg\/fulltext\/2024\/07000\/low_dose_aspirin_and_prevention_of_colorectal.29.aspx#:~:text=In%20this%20large%20population,for%20less%20than%205%20years\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">studies<\/a> back this up. A recent Norwegian registry study of over two million people age 50\u201379 found that regular low-dose aspirin users had about 13% lower colorectal cancer incidence than non-users.There\u2019s also a genetic angle. People with Lynch syndrome (a hereditary colon-cancer syndrome) have extremely high lifetime risk, and trials now show even a baby aspirin daily sharply cuts their chances of bowel cancer. Britain\u2019s NICE guidelines already <a href=\"https:\/\/ecancer.org\/en\/news\/26663-aspirin-a-day-keeps-bowel-cancer-at-bay#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20CAPP2%20result%2C,and%20potentially%20benefit%20more%20people\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">recommend<\/a> that anyone with Lynch syndrome \u201cconsider taking aspirin daily to prevent bowel cancer\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Who should steer clear<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"3\" msid=\"124313074\" width=\"\" title=\"\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"23456\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759631412_923_3.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/>The flip side is that aspirin isn\u2019t harmless. Even at low doses, it can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucihealth.org\/about-us\/news\/2024\/08\/colon-cancer-aspirin#:~:text=Image%3A%20Healthline%20logo%20white%20lowercase,sometimes%20caused%20by%20the%20medication\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">irritate<\/a> the stomach lining and raise the risk of serious bleeding or stroke. Medical guidelines now emphasize caution. In 2022 the US Preventive Services Task Force removed colorectal cancer from its aspirin guidelines, saying the latest evidence of benefit wasn\u2019t clear and noting the \u201charms of taking aspirin\u201d like ulcers.In fact, doctors warn that anyone with a history of stomach ulcers, bleeding disorders, or those on blood thinners should generally avoid routine aspirin. Older adults and people with uncontrolled high blood pressure face higher bleeding risk if they pop aspirin daily.Even aside from bleeding, some high-quality trials in broad patient groups have been underwhelming. For example, a recent international <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/39824200\/#:~:text=Interpretation%3A%20%20In%20patients%20with,free%20survival\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">trial<\/a> found that adding aspirin 200 mg daily after standard colon or rectal cancer treatment did not significantly improve disease-free survival. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every day it seems there\u2019s a new headline asking whether a low-dose aspirin can ward off colorectal cancer&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[42475,42473,42476,103,61,60,42474,42478,42477],"class_list":{"0":"post-61714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aspirin-dosage","9":"tag-aspirin-for-colon-cancer","10":"tag-colorectal-cancer-prevention","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-low-dose-aspirin-benefits","15":"tag-rectal-cancer-risk","16":"tag-us-preventive-services-task-force"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}