By Cheril Lee
Omaha, NE – Lynch syndrome is the most common of all hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes.
The syndrome was named after Dr. Henry Lynch, director of Creighton University's Hereditary Cancer Center. Dr. Lynch is co-author of a study released last week that shows aspirin has a major preventative effect on this type of cancer. The study indicates the benefits of aspirin begin to appear several years after the individual starts taking it.
Over the course of the study, the group of participants who used aspirin regularly developed significantly less incidences of cancer than those in the placebo group. Dr. Lynch says future research will test the effects of different doses of aspirin.
"We are extremely interested in testing patients with smaller doses, say 300 milligrams of aspirin versus higher doses, including as much as 900 or possible even 1200 milligrams of aspirin. We'd like to find out the action of aspirin. In other words, does it block certain genetic pathways?"
For more information on the trial, the website is www.capp3.org.