Aspirin Helps to Lower Risk of Cancer Death Among Men with Prostate Cancer

Men with prostate cancer who take anticoagulants like aspirin in addition to radiation therapy or surgery may be able to cut their risk of dying of the disease by more than half, according to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Texas, USA).  Kevin Choe and colleagues studied data collected from 5,275 men with localized cancer whose disease had not spread beyond the prostate gland, and were treated with surgery or radiation. Of these patients, 1,982 were taking anticoagulants, and the researchers found that the use of anticoagulants reduced the risk of dying from the disease from 10% to 4% at 10 years. The risk of developing bone metastasis was also reduced. In addition, findings reveal that the benefit appeared even greater among patients diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer. The team specifically found that the benefit was most prominent with aspirin, as compared to other anticoagulants.