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Mayo Clinic
researchers report that a daily dose of aspirin or other nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) can reduce the risk of prostate
cancer by as much as 83 percent in older men.
The researchers
randomly selected 1,362 men aged 50 to 79 who were participating
in a large Mayo Clinic study of lower urinary tract symptoms,
and followed them for up to six years.
The reported
in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings that 4 percent of the
569 participants who used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
developed prostate cancer compared to 9 percent of the 793
participants who did not use the over-the-counter drugs on
a daily basis.
Grouped
by age, the researchers found the risk of developing prostate
cancer was 12 percent lower in NSAID users aged 50 to 59 at
the beginning of the study, 60 percent lower in men aged 60
to 69, and 83 percent lower in men aged 70 to 79.
Dr. Rosebud
Roberts, an epidemiologist who directed the study, said she
became interested in looking at NSAIDs because other studies
have linked them to lower risks of colon and breast cancer.
She said
laboratory tests have show that NSAIDs block the action of
an enzyme that triggers the production of prostaglandins,
thought to be associated with prostate cancer.
"More
research needs to be done," Roberts said. "Our study
did not provide information on the size of the dose and the
duration of use that provides protection."
Source:
Prostate Cancer
Week of March 17, 2002
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