Aspirin intake can not only reduce the risk of getting colon cancer, but it may also lower the risk of dying from it, suggests a new research.

In a study conducted on 1,279 men and women with colorectal cancer that had not spread to other parts of the body, it was found that people with a regular intake of aspirin after their diagnosis were nearly 30 percent less likely to die from their cancer than those who did not. In addition, the study which lasted for more than two decades observed that the likelihood of these patients to die due to other reasons also reduced dramatically: by over 21%. "These results suggest that aspirin may influence the biology of established colorectal tumors in addition to preventing their occurrence," said Dr. Andrew Chan of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

He further observed that aspirin most likely works by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase2, or COX-2, which promotes inflammation and cell division. Many tumors make an abundance of COX-2, he said.

Inspite of all these benefits, aspirin can lead to severe bleeding in the stomach which is why Dr Chan held that careful clinical tests including placebo controlled trials of aspirin should be conducted before prescribing it for regular use by the colorectal cancer patients.