The New York Times recently spotlighted a scientific publication by Dr. Chin Hur and other ITA research staff that investigated clinical risk factors to better identify which patients should be screening for Barrett’s Esophagus. In a case-controlled study of 434 patients with Barrett’s Esophagus, researchers found that current use of aspirin reduced the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus by almost half. Aspirin has been documented to reduce the incidence of esophageal cancer, most likely through inhibiting the COX-2 enzyme as increased expression of COX-2 has been detected in patients with Barrett’s Esophagus and esophageal cancer. Further studies are needed to understand more about the relationship between the dosage and duration of aspirin use and the risk of Barrett’s Esophagus.