• Department of Human Health and Services, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD, USA. fatma.shebl@yale.edu

BACKGROUND: Although most epidemiological studies suggest that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is inversely associated with prostate cancer risk, the magnitude and specificity of this association remain unclear.

METHODS: We examined self-reported aspirin and ibuprofen use in relation to prostate cancer risk among 29 450 men ages 55-74 who were initially screened for prostate cancer from 1993 to 2001 in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Men were followed from their first screening exam until 31 December 2009, during which 3575 cases of prostate cancer were identified.

RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, the hazard ratios (HRs) of prostate cancer associated with <1 and ≥ 1 pill of aspirin daily were 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.90-1.07) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85-0.99), respectively, compared with never use (P for trend 0.04). The effect of taking at least one aspirin daily was more pronounced when restricting the analyses to men older than age 65 or men who had a history of cardiovascular-related diseases or arthritis (HR (95% CI); 0.87 (0.78-0.97), 0.89 (0.80-0.99), and 0.88 (0.78-1.00), respectively). The data did not support an association between ibuprofen use and prostate cancer risk.

CONCLUSION: Daily aspirin use, but not ibuprofen use, was associated with lower risk of prostate cancer risk.