Menu
Dr. Weil Logo Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
  • Health & Wellness
    Health & Wellness
    Body, Mind & Spirit
    • Addiction
    • Allergy & Asthma
    • Autoimmune Disorders
    • Back Pain
    • Bone & Joint
    • Cancer
    • Colds & Flu
    • Dental & Oral
    • Diabetes
    • Disease & Disorders
    • Ears, Nose, & Throat
    • Feet
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Hair, Skin, & Nails
    • Headache
    • Heart
    • Insects & Parasites
    • Liver & Kidney
    • Mental Health
    • Pregnancy & Fertility
    • Respiratory
    • Sexual Health
    • Sleep Issues
    • Stress & Anxiety
    • Vision
    Balanced Living
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Gardening
    • Healthy Home
    • Healthy Living
    • Meditation & Inspiration
    • Meet Dr. Weil
    • Pets & Pet Care
    • Technology
    • Wellness Therapies
    Health Centers
    • Aging Gracefully
    • Children
    • Condition Care Guide
    • Men
    • Women
  • Diet & Nutrition
    Diet & Nutrition
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Pyramid
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet Pyramid
    Cooking & Cookware
    Healthy Cooking & Cookware
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Food Safety
    Diets & Nutrition - Food Safety
    Nutrition
    healthy nutrition
    Recipes
    healthy recipes
  • Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Herbs
    herbal remedies - herbs
    Supplements & Remedies
    suppliments & remedies
    Vitamins
    ask-dr-weil_vitamins-supplements-herbs_vitamins-topnav
  • Ask Dr. Weil
  • Blogs
    Blogs
    Bulletins
    The Legacy Of Living Yes | Spontaneous Happiness | Andrew Weil, M.D.
    Health Tips
    Healthy Drinks To Start Sipping | Andrew Weil, M.D.
    Spontaneous Happiness
    blog_spontaneous-happiness_topnav
  • COVID-19
  • Dr. Weil Origins Skin Care
  • Marketplace
  • Healthy Aging
  • Podcasts
  • Meet Dr. Weil
  • Accessibility
  • Subscribe
Aspirin For Prostate Cancer?
Subscribe
Press "Enter" to search
  1. Home
  2. Health & Wellness
  3. Health Centers
  4. Men

Aspirin For Prostate Cancer?

I was told that taking aspirin can protect men from prostate cancer. Is this true? Is there any reason to avoid aspirin? If not, how much should men take?

Andrew Weil, M.D. |June 3, 2016

Multiple aspirin pills being poured from the mouth of a pill bottle.
2 min

A large study has found that taking aspirin regularly can reduce the risk of death by 39 percent in men who already have prostate cancer. However, it didn’t show that aspirin could prevent the disease from developing.

To reach these conclusions, researchers analyzed information on 22,071 men enrolled in the Physicians Health Study. They found that over 27 years of follow-up, 3,913 of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and in 403 cases the disease spread or the men died. After adjusting for contributing factors such as age, race (the disease is more common in African-American men), body mass index and smoking status, the researchers found that men who took more than three aspirin tablets a week had a 24 percent lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer, but taking aspirin didn’t lower the risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, or of developing invasive disease.

Lead researcher Christopher Allard, M.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, presented the findings at a Genitourinary Cancers Symposium at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in San Francisco in January (2016). He said it is premature to recommend aspirin for prevention of lethal prostate cancer on the basis of the study’s findings but suggested that men with prostate cancer “who may already benefit from aspirin’s cardiovascular effects could have one more reason to consider regular aspirin use.”

The study didn’t investigate or determine how aspirin might reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer, but Dr. Allard suggested that it might prevent cancer progression by suppressing platelets in the blood that otherwise might shield circulating tumor cells from immune recognition. Another possibility: aspirin might interfere with the spread of cancer to bone and other sites, even if it can’t entirely prevent it.

Welcome as these results are for men with prostate cancer, the study itself was observational in nature and didn’t prove cause and effect. We’ll need clinical trials to confirm the findings and determine if taking aspirin is worthwhile for all men with prostate cancer. Meanwhile, bear in mind that prostate cancer is typically slow growing – almost 90 percent of men who get it live at least five years after diagnosis, and 63 percent survive more than 10 years. If the cancer is detected before it spreads to other organs, the five-year relative survival rate is 100 percent.

Lifestyle factors are believed to account for about 75 percent of advanced prostate cancer cases, and of all the environmental variables, diet – particularly consumption of red meat and saturated fat – is most associated with increased risk.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Source:
Christopher B. Allard et al, “Regular aspirin use and the risk of lethal prostate cancer in the Physicians’ Health Study.” Presentation at 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, CA January 4, 2016, http://abstracts.asco.org/172/AbstView_172_158531.html, Accessed January 7, 2016.

Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging

Start Your 14-Day Free Trial

Free Newsletters

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Follow Dr. Weil’s Food Pyramid

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil's FREE health living advice delivered to you!

By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to the DrWeil.com Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive emails from DrWeil.com, and you may opt out of DrWeil.com subscriptions at any time.

Trending Now

Bowl of brown flax seed and linseed oil
Men

A Flaxseed Oil Risk for Men?

Healing herbs in hessian bags, wooden mortar with coneflowers and essential oil on wooden stump outdoors, herbal medicine.
Men

An Herbal Solution to Baldness?

Are Dairy Foods A Prostate Cancer Risk? | Men's Health | Andrew Weil, M.D.
Men

Are Dairy Foods A Prostate Cancer Risk?

Multiple aspirin pills being poured from the mouth of a pill bottle.
Men

Aspirin For Prostate Cancer?

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil - Get Free Newsletters Right In Your Inbox

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
Information
  • About Us
  • Press Information
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Manage Email Subscription
Trending Articles
Bowl of brown flax seed and linseed oil
Men

A Flaxseed Oil Risk for Men?

Healing herbs in hessian bags, wooden mortar with coneflowers and essential oil on wooden stump outdoors, herbal medicine.
Men

An Herbal Solution to Baldness?

Daily Tips
Creased Earlobe Mean Heart Disease
Health Tips

Is A Creased Earlobe An Indicator Of Heart Disease?

Optimism & Gratitude: The Power Of Positive Thinking | Andrew Weil, M.D.
Health Tips

Optimism & Gratitude: The Power Of Positive Thinking

  • Flickr
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. Any third party offering or advertising on this website does not constitute an endorsement by Andrew Weil, M.D. or Healthy Lifestyle Brands.

©Copyright2023 Healthy Lifestyle Brands, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. www.drweil.com