Common painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen appear to lower a man's PSA level, according to a new study.

The level of PSA, which stands for prostate-specific antigen, can be an indication of prostate cancer. Testing is used to screen for the disease.

But the authors of the study said the results don't mean men should start taking painkillers to prevent prostate cancer, because the small amount of data didn't show if fewer men actually got cancer.

A team studied 1,300 men over the age of 40 for the work. Men who used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and acetaminophen regularly had PSA levels about 10 percent lower than to those who did not.

"While our results are consistent with other research that indicates that certain painkillers may reduce a man's risk of getting prostate cancer, the new findings are preliminary and don't prove a link," said author Edwin van Wijngaarden.

One possibility is that a PSA level may drop and mask a man's risk of getting prostate cancer, the authors said.

The work appears online Sept. 8 in the journal Cancer.