Private MD News

Aspirin may reduce prostate cancer risk

Category: Prostate

Individuals who have received elevated PSA test results but do not yet have prostate cancer may benefit from starting an aspirin regimen. New researchers from University of Oxford investigators shows that the drug may help mitigate future prostate risk.

The researchers found that daily aspirin reduced the 20-year death rates from prostate by 20 percent when compared to placebo. Furthermore, the study showed that the longer an individual takes aspirin, the greater the benefits.

The medicine was also shown to reduce the risk of death from other cancers, including gastrointestinal, esophageal, brain, pancreatic and lung cancer.

"Daily aspirin reduced deaths due to several common cancers during and after the trials," the researchers wrote in their report. "These findings have implications for guidelines on use of aspirin and for understanding of carcinogenesis and its susceptibility to drug intervention."

The findings may provide another option to men who have been diagnosed with low-risk prostate tumors through PSA testing. Rather than opting for aggressive treatments like radiation therapy or surgery, both of which can cause serious side effects, men may be able to reduce their prostate risk through aspirin therapy. However, anyone diagnosed with cancer should first consult with their doctor.