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Aspirin Limits Prostate Cancer Therapy
Dec. 26, 2007 -- Men with prostate cancer may have to quit hormone therapy -- upping their death risk -- if they take aspirin, a small study suggests.
Regular aspirin helps many men avoid heart attacks and stroke. But it also takes a toll on the liver for some.
That's not a problem for most men. But men with prostate cancer often need hormone therapy to suppress the male hormones that speed the growth of their cancers.
The powerful drugs used to suppress male hormones include the anti-androgen drug Eulexin. Eulexin can be toxic to the liver. Doctors discontinue treatment if patients have abnormal liver-function tests.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher Anthony V. D'Amico, MD, PhD, and colleagues enrolled 206 men with high- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer in a six-month study. Half the men got hormone therapy including Eulexin, and half got radiation therapy alone.
Abnormal liver-function tests forced some of the men to quit Eulexin treatment before they could finish the six-month study. This happened to 37% of men taking aspirin, but only to 16% of the men not taking aspirin.
As it turned out, the men who got radiation therapy alone were 6.1 times more likely to die than men who finished six months of hormone therapy (and also got radiation therapy). Those who had to stop taking Eulexin were 3.5 times more likely to die than men who finished six months of hormone therapy.
It's not clear what would have happened to the men if they had stopped taking aspirin. But D'Amico and colleagues warn doctors that aspirin can make cancer treatment harder to tolerate.
The warning comes in a letter published in the Dec. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
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