A new study provides more evidence that the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. This study was of Medicare patients who had been taking NSAIDs such as aspirin for osteoarthritis and was conducted by a Massachusetts General Hospital team led by Elizabeth Lamont, MD, MS. The study agrees with previous research which showed a relationship between NSAID use and the development of precancerous polyps.
Lamont states that it is "good news for people who take NSAIDs regularly for osteoarthritis, " but that since there are risks such as bleeding or kidney damage associated with NSAID use, NSAIDs should not be used solely in a effort to prevent cancer.
Lamont cautions that this was a "natural experiment" in which data from patients taking NSAIDs was compared to data from those who don't, but that the ideal to test this relationship would be a randomized clinical trial.
