Study links acetaminophen to lower prostate cancer risk
Researchers say too early to justify use to reduce risk, but could provide biological clues
2011-05-24
(Press-News.org) ATLANTA – May 23, 2011 – A new study from American Cancer Society researchers finds use of 30 tablets a month or more of acetaminophen for five or more years was associated with an estimated 38% lower risk of prostate cancer. The study appears in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention and is one of only two studies of prostate cancer to date that have examined the association with acetaminophen use that was both long-term and regular.
Use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), particularly long-term use, has been associated with modestly reduced risk of prostate cancer in some previous epidemiologic studies. Acetaminophen, a commonly used pain-reliever, is not traditionally considered an NSAID but can have anti-inflammatory effects.
For the current study, researchers led by Eric Jacobs, Ph.D., American Cancer Society epidemiologist, examined the association between acetaminophen use and prostate cancer incidence among 78,485 men in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Information on acetaminophen use was obtained from a questionnaire completed at study enrollment in 1992 and updated using follow-up questionnaires in 1997 and every two years thereafter.
During follow-up from 1992 through 2007, there were 8,092 incident prostate cancer cases identified. Current regular use of acetaminophen (> 30 pills per month) for 5 years or more was associated with lower risk of overall prostate cancer (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.44-0.87) as well as lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer (RR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.27-0.88). Current regular use of < 5 years duration was not associated with prostate cancer risk.
"While the results of this observational study suggest that long-term regular acetaminophen use may be associated with lower prostate cancer risk, our findings require replication by other studies, and do not justify use of acetaminophen to prevent prostate cancer. Acetaminophen is considered relatively safe when used at recommended doses but unintentional acetaminophen overdose is an important cause of acute liver failure." said Dr. Jacobs. "Still, results of this study could lead to further research on acetaminophen that might provide biological insights about the process of prostate cancer development and how this process could be slowed."
INFORMATION:Article: "A Large Cohort Study of Long-term Acetaminophen Use and Prostate Cancer Incidence," Eric J Jacobs, Christina C Newton, Victoria L Stevens, and Susan M Gapstur
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev May 17, 2011 cebp.0210.2011; Published OnlineFirst May 17, 2011; doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-11-0210
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-05-24
Farmers using a cover crop seeder developed by Penn State agricultural scientists may eventually need only a single trip across the field to accomplish what takes most farmers three passes and several pieces of equipment to do.
Pennsylvania farmers are increasingly interested in growing cover crops, but the time, cost and late fall harvest of corn and other crops often limit their use, said Gregory Roth, professor of agronomy.
The seeder can help farmers, especially small operations, save time and money by condensing multiple tasks into one trip through a no-till field. ...
2011-05-24
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have devised a new technique, which helps couples that are affected by or are carriers of genetic diseases have in vitro fertilized babies free of both the disease in question and other chromosomal abnormalities. The results were reported in the April issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Because embryos are so small and cells contain too little DNA to do extensive testing, researchers have in the past had to limit genetic testing of IVF embryos to either looking for a specific gene mutation that is known to exist ...
2011-05-24
A team led by Thomas B. Nutman, M.D., of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has completed a large-scale analysis of most of the proteins produced by Brugia malayi, one kind of parasitic worm that causes lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis. The greatly swollen lower limbs that can result from chronic infection with this mosquito-borne parasite can be severely disabling.
The investigators characterized 7,103 proteins produced in various stages of the worm's lifecycle, including male and female ...
2011-05-24
PHILADELPHIA -- A physician panel in the primary care specialty of internal medicine has identified common clinical activities where changes in practice could lead to higher quality care and better use of finite clinical resources.
The study identifying the Top 5 list of internal medicine activities appears online in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"Our aim was to come up with a list of best practices via consensus from actual practitioners, said Jeffrey R. Jaeger, MD, FACP, associate professor of Internal Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University ...
2011-05-24
Sweden and the US are two countries in which increased leisure use of computers by children leads to poorer reading ability. This is the conclusion from research carried out at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Professor Monica Rosén of the Department of Education and Special Education has analysed differences between different countries over time in order to explain change in reading achievement among 9-10-year olds. Within the framework of the research project she and her colleagues have studied how pupils' reading skills have changed since 1970. Hungary, Italy, ...
2011-05-24
Los Angeles, CA (May 23, 2011) With teen moms being debated heavily in popular culture today, it's easy to neglect the effects of fatherhood. However, recent research shows that young, disadvantaged men also affect a family and society. In fact, by age 30, between 68 and 75 percent of young men with a high school degree or less are fathers.
A new issue of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (published by SAGE) called "Young Disadvantaged Men: Fathers, Family, Poverty, and Policy," examines how poverty and lack of education are creating ...
2011-05-24
Often, the goal of science is to show that things are not what they seem to be. But now, in an article which will be published in an upcoming issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, a veteran cognitive psychologist exhorts his colleagues in memory research to consult the truth of their own experience.
"Cognitive psychologists are trying to be like physicists and chemists, which means doing controlled laboratory experiments, getting numbers out of them and explaining the numbers," says Douglas L. Hintzman, ...
2011-05-24
Scientists have long known that people who have a close relative with alcohol problems themselves run an increased risk of starting to abuse alcohol. The reason for this has not been known, but a new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, provides part of the answer. The study shows that people who have a close relative who is an alcoholic react more positively to alcohol than other people.
The study has been published in the scientific journal Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, and is the first to have investigated a large group of people who have a ...
2011-05-24
Though the universe is filled with billions upon billions of stars, the discovery of a single variable star in 1923 altered the course of modern astronomy. And, at least one famous astronomer of the time lamented that the discovery had shattered his world view.
The star goes by the inauspicious name of Hubble variable number one, or V1, and resides in the outer regions of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, or M31. But in the early 1900s, most astronomers considered the Milky Way a single "island universe" of stars, with nothing observable beyond its boundaries. Andromeda ...
2011-05-24
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---If a gay or bisexual man seeks sex or dating online, the type of partner or relationship he wants is a good indicator of whether he'll engage in safe sex, a new study suggests.
Gay men seeking long-term romance online are more likely to engage in safe sex than men who want a sexual encounter only, the study shows. This is valuable information because it helps HIV-prevention counselors design more effective sexual health interventions, says Jose Bauermeister, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and director of the ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Study links acetaminophen to lower prostate cancer risk
Researchers say too early to justify use to reduce risk, but could provide biological clues
