What is chemoprevention?
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The use of medications to prevent or slow the development of cancer.
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What chemoprevention medications are recommended for patients with Lynch syndrome?
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1. Aspirin:
Aspirin has been shown to reduce colorectal cancer risk for patients with Lynch syndrome. The optimal dose for chemoprevention is still being investigated. Talk to your doctor about whether this would be a good option for you.
2. Oral contraceptives:
- Estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives decrease the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers
- Progestin-only oral contraceptives decrease the risk of endometrial cancer only
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Are there risks to taking aspirin?
| There are a few risks associated with aspirin use, including:
- 1 in 100 to 10 in 100 people that use aspirin experience increased bleeding or bruising (1-10% risk)
- Increased risk for stomach ulcers (exact risk unknown)
- 1 in 10,000 to 10 in 10,000 people that use aspirin experience a major bleed in the GI tract (0.01-0.1% risk)
- If due to bleeding, can worsen stroke
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| How can you decide if aspirin is right for you? |
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has created a patient decision aid (available here) to help you and your doctor with this decision.
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