People with Lynch syndrome, also known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), are at high risk of developing certain types of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. Now, a new study has suggested that taking aspirin may help reduce their cancer risk. Aspirin is an over-the-counter drug usually taken for conditions such as pain, fever or inflammation
In their study, the researchers observed that taking two aspirins a day for an average of two and half years was able to reduce bowel cancer risk by half in people with Lynch syndrome. Even when the person stops taking the medicine, the effects can be felt for up to 20 years, they said.
The randomized double-blind trial included 861 people with Lynch Syndrome from 43 different places across the globe. The participants were given 600mg of aspirin or a placebo every day for two years. The patients were followed up with for 20 years to ascertain the effects of aspirin.
They found that among those who took aspirin for two years, there were 50% fewer bowel cancers. In addition, aspirin also reduced the risk of all Lynch syndrome cancers combined by about 37% in those patients. Since aspirin is a low-cost drug, researchers believe that it can help significantly reduce treatment costs and burden on the health care system. The results of the study appeared in the medical journal The Lancet.
Lynch syndrome: What causes it?
Lynch syndrome is an inherited disorder that increases a person’s risk of developing many types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. People with this condition are also more likely to develop cancers of the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder ducts, urinary tract, brain, and skin. In women, this disorder may increase their risk of cancer of the ovaries and lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer).
Lynch syndrome is linked to mutations in genes that affect DNA mismatch repair, a process that fixes mistakes made during DNA replication. These genes (MLHL, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and EPCAM) normally protect you from getting certain cancers, but mutations in any of these genes prevent them from working properly. The accumulated errors then lead to uncontrolled cell growth and possibly cancer.
Some lesser known facts about Lynch syndrome
Around 3 out of every 100 colon cancers or endometrial cancers are estimated to be caused by Lynch syndrome. This inherited disorder causes about 4,000 colorectal cancers and 1,800 uterine (endometrial) cancers per year.
You are more likely to have Lynch syndrome if your family has a history of colorectal cancer. Family members who inherit Lynch syndrome usually share the same mutation. Lynch syndrome can be confirmed through a blood test.
If you have Lynch syndrome, you have greater chance of developing multiple types of cancers during the lifetime. Cancers associated with Lynch syndrome are more likely to be diagnosed at a young age.
How to prevent your child from inheriting the disorder
A child who has a parent with a gene mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting that mutation. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) combined with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) allows people who carry a specific known genetic mutation to reduce the likelihood of their children inheriting the mutation. Here the woman’s eggs are removed and fertilized in a laboratory. When the embryos reach a certain size, one cell is removed and is tested to see if it carries a gene mutation that increases the risk for this hereditary cancer syndrome. Then embryos that do not have the genetic mutation is transferred to the woman’s uterus. This medical procedure has been used for several hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes.