Aspirin may help protect men with prostate cancer from dying due to the disease.
The Physicians’ Health Study involves more than 22,000 male doctors who have been followed for almost three decades. Over that time 3,193 were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Aspirin Users Are at a Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer Death:
Those who took aspirin at least three times a week were one fourth less likely to be diagnosed with metastatic tumors. They had a 39 percent lower risk of prostate cancer death compared to those men who were not regular aspirin users.
Although aspirin did not seem to prevent the development of prostate cancer in the first place it seemed to make the disease less aggressive. One theory to explain this effect is the anti-platelet action of aspirin. This mechanism prevents blood clots from forming by keeping blood platelets from sticking together in clumps. It may also make it harder for prostate cancer cells to migrate to bones.
Aspirin Against Other Cancers:
This is not the first time aspirin has been shown to have anti-cancer activity. Other studies suggest that regular aspirin use may help prevent cancers of the colon, rectum, esophagus, breast, stomach and lung.
Aspirin Has Side Effects:
A word of caution is warranted. Aspirin can interact with many other medications and it can be quite irritating to the digestive tract and can trigger ulcers. That is why no one should undertake long-term aspirin use without medical supervision.
American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, Jan. 2016
