REVIEW Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and colorectal cancer prevention

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Currently, the most effective strategy available for colon cancer prevention is endoscopic screening, with polypectomy or surgical resection for advanced lesions. This intervention carries with it many concerns regarding cost, patient acceptance, and the growing burden of surveillance colonoscopies for patients with polyps. Further improvements in the understanding of the multistep model of colorectal carcinogenesis will probably lead to the development of other primary and secondary prevention strategies. Data obtained from animal and epidemiological studies and most recently from randomised, placebo controlled trials, suggest that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may prove effective chemopreventive agents in different groups of people, from patients with familial adenomatous polyposis to those with sporadic adenomas. See end of article for authors ’ affiliation