Regular Aspirin Use and the Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer in the Physicians’ Health Study

Abstract

BackgroundRegular aspirin use probably protects against some malignancies including prostate cancer (PC), but its impact on lethal PC is particularly unclear. ObjectiveTo investigate the association between regular aspirin and (1) the risk of lethal PC in a large prospective cohort and (2) survival after PC diagnosis. Design, setting, and participantsIn 1981/82, the Physicians’ Health Study randomized 22 071 healthy male physicians to aspirin, β-carotene, both, or placebo. After the trial ended in 1988, annual questionnaires have obtained data on aspirin use, cancer diagnoses, and outcomes up to 2009 for the whole cohort, and to 2015 for PC patients. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisWe evaluated the relationship between regular aspirin (>3 tablets/week) and lethal PC (metastases or PC death). Cox proportional-hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for the risk of lethal PC in the whole cohort and postdiagnosis survival among men initially diagnosed with nonlethal PC. Results and limitationsRisk analysis revealed that 502 men developed lethal PC by 2009. Current and past regular aspirin was associated with a lower risk of lethal PC (current: HR 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52–0.89; past: HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.40–0.74) compared to never users. In the survival analysis, 407/3277 men diagnosed with nonlethal PC developed lethal disease by 2015. Current postdiagnostic aspirin was associated with lower risks of lethal PC (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52–0.90) and overall mortality (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.61–0.9). We could not assess aspirin dose, and inconsistencies were observed in some sensitivity analyses. ConclusionsCurrent regular aspirin use was associated with a lower risk of lethal PC among all participants. Current postdiagnostic use was associated with improved survival after diagnosis, consistent with a potential inhibitory effect of aspirin on PC progression. A randomized trial is warranted to confirm or refute these findings. Patient summaryWe examined the potential effect of regular aspirin use on lethal prostate cancer. We found that taking aspirin was associated with a lower risk of lethal prostate cancer, and taking it after diagnosis may help to prevent prostate cancer from becoming fatal.