(American College of Physicians) -- A study of 27,077 women found that those who took higher doses of aspirin seem to have lower risk for developing adenomas (a type of polyp that can become colorectal cancer) than those who reported never using or rarely using aspirin.

The women had no known history of colon disease at the start of the study and had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy between 1980 and 1998. Overall, 1,368 cases of distal colorectal adenoma were diagnosed. Women who reported taking up to 14 tablets per week had the lowest relative risk for this cancer. Women who reported never using or rarely using aspirin had the highest relative risk.

Authors caution that while low doses of aspirin seems to prevent heart disease, higher doses increase risks for adverse effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding; so people should not take higher doses of aspirin to prevent colorectal adenomas until more studies clearly define the overall benefits and harms of these doses. Screening with colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy remains the best way to prevent colon cancer.