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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : April 25, 2014 2:56 PM IST
The humble aspirin that you pop to ameliorate headache or a precaution against heart attack can also take on the dangerous colorectal cancer in people with a specific gene, a significant study shows. 'Individuals whose colons have high levels of a specific gene product - 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) RNA - dramatically reduce their chances of developing colorectal cancer by taking aspirin,' said the researchers. (Read: Prebiotic helps lower colon cancer risk: study)
Aspirin, however, provides no benefit to individuals whose colons show low levels of 15-PGDH, the researchers added. 'If you looked at the folks from the study who had high 15-PGDH levels and took aspirin, they cut their risk of colon cancer by half,' said Sanford Markowitz, a professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in the US. 'If you looked at the folks from the study that were low for 15-PGDH, they did not benefit at all from taking aspirin,' Markowitz added. (Read: Study suggests exercise reduces bowel cancer risk)
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The extraordinary finding comes from a multi-institutional team that analysed data and other material from two long-term studies involving nearly 128,000 participants. The study appeared in the journal Science Translational Medicine. (Read: Eating chicken can keep colon cancer at bay)
What is colon cancer?
Colorectal cancer (also known as colon cancer or bowel cancer) is the 6th common cause of cancer deaths in India. It develops due to overgrowth of cells lining the colon and the rectum. The colon is a 5 feet long twisted tube that helps in the absorption of water and various nutrients from the food you eat, whereas the end portion (about 6 inches) of the digestive tract that serves as a passage for excretion of stool is called the rectum. Colorectal cancer develops when cancerous tumours originate from the linings of colon and rectum. These tumours can enlarge with time and then invade the colon completely.
What causes colorectal cancer?
In most cases of colorectal cancer, the actual cause is not found. But certain risk factors like smoking, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease or Chron's disease and family history of cancer can increase the chances of colon cancer. Here are some tips to prevent cancer.
What are the symptoms?
Sometimes, colorectal cancer can develop without showing any symptoms. With progressive invasion of tumours, the following symptoms can be seen:
(Read: Colorectal cancer symptoms, causes and treatment)
With inputs from IANS
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