Staying Healthy
Aspirin before colon cancer screening doesnt boost test accuracy
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Popping an aspirin before taking a common test designed to detect blood in the stool, a sign of colon cancer, doesn't improve test accuracy, according to a study published May 7 in JAMA. Some observational studies had found that taking an aspirin before the test improved its sensitivity. Study authors speculated that this could be the case because aspirin's blood-thinning effects made it more likely that blood from abnormalities in the colon would make its way into the stool, where it could be detected.
But this trial, which included 1,200 adults, didn't find the same link. Researchers divided participants into two groups: one that took aspirin before the test, and another that did not.
While there was a slightly higher detection rate in the group of people who took aspirin before the test, the difference wasn't statistically significant.
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