 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
MONDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Taking aspirin or other commonly used painkillers can lower blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and possibly confuse the results of a common screening test for prostate cancer, a study finds.
Data on 1,319 men in a national health study showed that men who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had PSA levels about 10 percent lower than men who didn't take the drugs.
Text Continues Below
A similar lowering effect was seen for regular use of acetaminophen (Tylenol), although it did not reach statistical significance.
It's also possible that the lowered PSA levels indicate that regular NSAID use reduces the risk of prostate cancer, the report said, citing studies showing a relationship between NSAID use and lower incidence of the cancer. The new study results "are consistent with previous reports that NSAID use is a protective factor for the development of prostate cancer," the researchers wrote.
"This raises questions that will have to be answered in a larger clinical trial," said Dr. Eric A. Singer, chief resident in urology at the University of Rochester, New York, and lead author of the report, which is in the Sept. 8 issue of Cancer.
Until now, the only drugs known to affect PSA levels were those used to treat an enlarged prostate, Singer said. "Other than that, PSA levels are not usually interpreted with medications in mind, so that raises that question," he said.
PSA screening tests commonly are done in the offices of primary care physicians, Singer said, and those doctors usually have information on which medications a man is taking. Whether men should be asked about NSAID use isn't clear now, he said.
"In terms of changing medical practice, I don't think so right now, not on the basis of this study," Singer said.
He and his colleagues are exploring the possibility of a trial that might clarify the issue, he said. Such a trial would follow men who regularly take NSAIDs and see how they affect the risk of prostate cancer.
Page: 1 | 2 | Next >>
|
.gif)
