Statins, NSAIDs May Alter Prostate Cancer Screening Results, Study Finds

A new study, published online last week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggests that long-term use of certain medications, including cholesterol-lowering statins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and blood pressure-lowering thiazide diuretics, may lead to skewed prostate screening test results and lowered PSA levels in men over the age of 40.

Elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels can indicate the presence of prostate cancer in men, and an alteration in test results by outside factors could lead to an error in cancer diagnosis.

"Our study reveals that men regularly consuming NSAIDs, statins, and thiazide diuretics may have lower serum PSA levels compared to men who are not taking these medications," said Dr. Steven L. Chang, lead author of the research study.

Researchers studied the effects of 10 medications on PSA readings in nearly 2,000 men with no history of prostate cancer.

One year of treatment with statins, NSAIDs, or thiazide diuretics led to PSA levels that were 1 percent, 3 percent, and 6 percent lower, respectively, when compared with men not taking the medications. After five years of treatment with the medications, effects were dramatically magnified, with PSA levels that were 6 percent, 13 percent, and 26 percent lower, respectively.

"If future studies show that the difference in PSA has no bearing on the development of prostate cancer, then it may be necessary to lower the PSA threshold for recommending prostate needle biopsies in men who are taking NSAIDs, statins and thiazide diuretics," said Dr. Chang.

Researchers also hypothesize that the medications could be studied in the future for their possible role in protection against cancer, if the lowering of PSA levels can be linked to a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.

According to recent statistics, statin medications (Lipitor, Zocor, and others) are taken by more than 25 million people worldwide, and more than 30 million people take NSAIDs (ibuprofen, Aleve, and others) for pain relief each year.

Additional information about drugs and drug side effects may be found on DrugWatch.com.