Daily aspirin ‘SLOWS the spread of these two deadly cancers’
The common over-the-counter medicine, which costs just 2 pence per tablet, has added benefits in the battle against certain malignant tumours
IT’S already said to have a variety of added benefits.
But, in addition to being a cheap pain medication, it seems aspirin may also help slow the spread of tumour cells for patients with colon and pancreatic cancer.
New research conducted by scientists at Oregon Health and Science University, which was published in the, found that regular, low doses of the drug restrict blood platelets from producing growth hormones.
The same chemical which helps cancerous growths to expand.
However, although researchers managed to find a link between the two, they are unaware at exactly why it happens.
“The current study was designed to determine the effect of inhibition of platelet activation and function by aspirin therapy on colon and pancreatic cancer cell proliferation,” the researchers wrote.
In particular, it showed effectiveness with nonmetastatic cancer cells in the colon and pancreas (those which remain contained within their area of diagnosis).
However, it was ineffective with metastatic colon cancer cells (those that have grown outside of the colon).
“Our study reveals important differences and specificities in the mechanism of action of high- and low-dose aspirin in metastatic and nonmetastatic cancer cells with different tumor origins and suggests that the ability of aspirin to prevent platelet-induced c-MYC [an oncoprotein] expression might be selective for a nonmetastatic phenotype.”
The latest development comes shortly after it was revealed that a daily aspirin reduces the risk of a heart attack.
Experts at the University of Southern California made the claim, which added to the ongoing debate around the drug’s additional benefits, which have been argued by medical experts for decades.
They said that, if taken by elderly patients, it would prevent 11 cases of heart disease and four cases of cancer for every 1,000 Americans aged 51 to 79.
Life expectancy would improve by 0.3 years which would be largely disability-free, so out of 1,000 people, eight more Americans would reach age 80 and three more would reach the age of 100.
Furthermore, by 2036, an estimated 900,000 more Americans would be alive.
The common painkiller, which costs less than two pence per tablet, could save the NHSmillions and extend life expectancy by nearly four months, their research has found.
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