New risks for colon cancer

One study to be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting links high levels of circulating C-reactive protein to a higher risk of colon cancer because low-grade inflammation in the body. Women whose protein levels were in the highest quarter had a 2.5-fold higher risk of colon cancer compared to those in the lowest quarter.

In the other study, researchers linked the bacterium Helicobacter pylori to a higher risk of colorectal polyps in blacks. That could make it more likely that they'll develop colon cancer. The study authors, who examined the medical records of 1,262 black patients, found that the polyps were 50 percent more prevalent in those who were infected with H. pylori.

Yet another mark on the blockbuster class of cholesterol drugs, statins don't lower the risk of colorectal cancer, and may even increase the chances of developing precancerous polyps, new research suggests. The Journal Cancer Prevention Research trial included 2,035 people who were at high risk of colon cancer and had already been diagnosed with precancerous polyps, or adenomas. Patients who had been in the placebo group and who used statins at any time were no less likely to develop adenomas over a five-year period compared with those patients who never used statins. For those who took statins for three years or longer, the chances of developing the adenomas were nearly 40 percent higher than those not on statins.