Can aspirin prevent other kinds of cancer?
Aspirin may be sold over the counter, but it’s a very powerful drug. It has at least two effects that, in animal studies, fight cancer. Aspirin is most studied in colon cancer. Human studies strongly suggest that aspirin improves survival in patients treated for colon cancer. Studies also suggest that aspirin decreases the risk of new polyps in patients who have had precancerous intestinal polyps removed, and that regular aspirin use lowers colon cancer risk. However, the U.S. Preventive Services recommends against the widespread use of aspirin to prevent colon cancer. Again, the risks of aspirin outweigh the benefit for people at normal risk of colon cancer. Aspirin may also lower the risk of other cancers, particularly prostate cancer and esophageal cancer. As with breast and colon cancer, the strongest benefits appear to be in patients already treated for cancer. While there is evidence that aspirin has broad anticancer effects, there is no good evidence that this benefit — even wh
