Aspirin Effectively Reduces Cancer Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy: Study

A new study published in the Nature Scientific Reports highlighted the potential benefits of aspirin in reducing biochemical recurrence (BCR) rates following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer. The research was conducted across 25 centers between 2011 and 2022, evaluated nearly 6207 patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer (pT2-3N0M0) and compared outcomes between aspirin users and non-users.

The study identified a total of 350 patients in the aspirin group and 5857 in the control group. Using advanced statistical methods, such as 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) and Mahalanobis distance matching (MDM) to create a balanced pairs of 350 patients for a rigorous comparison. The primary focus was on BCR-free survival which is an important indicator of cancer recurrence after treatment.

The results found that the patients in the aspirin group showed significantly improved 3-year BCR-free survival rates when compared to the control group. The BCR-free rate for the aspirin group was 85.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 80.8–89.4), while the control group had rates of 74.5% (PSM; 95% CI 66.5–83.5, p=0.021) and 74.7% (MDM; 95% CI 66.3–84.3, p=0.037).

Also, the analysis of high-risk subgroups yielded even more strong data. Among patients with an International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade of 4 or higher, aspirin use was associated with a significantly lower recurrence rate. The hazard ratio (HR) for recurrence in the aspirin group was 0.44 (95% CI 0.22–0.88, PSM) and 0.45 (95% CI 0.23–0.90, MDM) which suggested nearly a 56% reduced risk of recurrence in these high-risk patients.

The study underlined the potential of aspirin as a supplementary therapy in improving cancer outcomes for patients undergoing RARP for the patients with more aggressive disease profiles. By inhibiting platelet activity, aspirin may reduce cancer progression and reduce the likelihood of residual tumor cells spreading after surgery.

The findings offer a valuable avenue for future research, as well as potential clinical implications for improving post-surgical care. Overall, this study represents a step forward in understanding how readily available medications like aspirin can complement advanced surgical treatments to improve patient outcomes in prostate cancer management.

Reference:

Suzuki, S., Negoro, H., Kubota, M., Sumiyoshi, T., Saito, R., Okuno, T., Segawa, T., Fukuzawa, S., Onishi, H., Hattahara, K., Nagahama, K., Sekine, Y., Kurahashi, R., Shimatani, K., Sawada, A., Akamatsu, S., Nishiyama, H., Goto, T., & Kobayashi, T. (2025). Impact of aspirin on biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after robot assisted radical prostatectomy in a multicenter retrospective cohort study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86521-x