Aspirin Doesn't Prevent Colorectal Cancer, Review Says. Here's What Helps Instead

A new study demonstrates limited protective benefits for daily aspirin use and colorectal cancer risk. Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images Research suggests that daily low dose aspirin doesn’t appear to reduce a person’s risk of colorectal cancer. Frequent aspirin use may increase a person’s risk of bleeding in and around the brain. Experts say you can lower your colorectal cancer risk with lifestyle habits such as eating a plant-based diet, limiting alcohol consumption, and exercising daily. A daily regimen of low dose aspirin probably does not significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer but may increase the risk of bleeding in the brain area, according to a large-scale analysis of previous research. Researchers reported that daily aspirin probably does not help in preventing colorectal cancer in the first 15 years of use, although it might have some preventive benefits in the longer term. However, the researchers stated that they are “not confident” in the long-term assessment. They also reported that daily aspirin use may increase deaths from colorectal cancer in the short term but may help reduce deaths after 15 years. Again, the researchers noted they are “not confident” in these conclusions. They did report that daily aspirin use may increase the risk of bleeding outside the skull as well as bleeding in and around the brain. “It is not possible to draw definitive conclusions or outline specific implications for the routine use of aspirin for [colorectal cancer] primary prevention based on the current evidence,” the researchers wrote. “Our findings reveal complex, time‐dependent preventive effects and concerns about potential harms for clinicians and patients to consider.” They published their findings in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on April 1. They were an update to a previous study they published in February. Ketan Thanki, MD, a colorectal surgeon who specializes in benign and malignant disease of the colon, rectum, and anus at the Memoria