Effect of celecoxib on benign prostatic hyperplasia: Results of a preliminary study

ObjectiveToday, the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has become quite evident. Numerous markers have been found which suggests a role of non-bacterial inflammation in the prostate. Despite the recommendation of anti-inflammatory drugs for BPH, research on the effectiveness of such drugs is scant. Hence, the present study examined the effectiveness of celecoxib in treating patients with BPH.Materials and MethodsThis single-blind randomized control trial was conducted on 160 patients referred to a urology clinic from 2006 to 2007. Patients were aged ≥50 years, had obstructive and irritative symptoms of BPH, and had American Urological Association (AUA) scores ranging 7–25. They were randomly assigned to control (treated with 2 mg terazosin) and celecoxib (2 mg terazosin with 200 mg celecoxib) groups and underwent 12 weeks of treatment.ResultsThe baseline measures for the severity of symptoms, postvoiding residual urine (PVR), prostate volume, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level did not significantly differ between the two groups. The severity of symptoms and PVR significantly decreased after treatment in both groups. However, the prostate volume and PSA level significantly dropped as well in the celecoxib group. The overall severity of symptoms, irritative symptoms, and prostate volume decreased more in the celecoxib group than in the control group.ConclusionThe present study showed that combination therapy with celecoxib and terazosin can significantly decrease irritative symptoms of BPH and prostate volume as well. Therefore, it seems that adding anti-inflammatory drugs to routine treatment for BPH could be more effective than routine therapy.