<b>Regular Aspirin Use May Help Men With Prostate Cancer Live Longer</b>

A multicenter study that reviewed that national database of almost 6000 men with prostate cancer, who had been treated with surgery or radiation therapy, found that those who regularly took anticoagulants were less likely to die from their disease than patients who did not.

An anticoagulant prevents blood from clotting. Aspirin is an anticoagulant and it provided the most benefit to men in the study. Men in the study who regularly took aspirin were also less likely to experience cancer recurrence or have the disease metastasize (spread) to their bones

The study reviewed the database of a project known as CaPSURE, which stands for Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor. Slightly over one-third of the men enrolled in the project were taking anticoagulants, primarily aspirin.

Results from the study suggest that aspirin prevents the growth of tumor cells in prostate cancer, especially in men with high-risk prostate cancer

The study was published in the <i>Journal of Clinical Oncology</i>. Dr. Kevin Choe, assistant professor of radiation oncology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, was lead author of the paper.