For decades, Aspirin is known as painkillers. A new research reveals that this can also help fight cancer.
While previous research has hinted in the connection between the use of aspirin and improved cancer survival, and study Posted in nature last week explains why. However, experts warn that aspirin is not a cure – and carries risks such as increased potential for internal bleeding.
So, how can aspirin prevent cancer spread? And what does that mean for future treatment?
What did the studies discover about the use of aspirin and cancer?
Recent studies have revealed that aspirin, a widely used painkillers can help prevent Cancer spread, Although it is unclear if it would work for all kinds of diseases.
Researchers have been exploring this relationship for decades. AND First clinical studyPublished in 1988, it showed that regular use of aspirin significantly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, although the fundamental reason remained unclear.
Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge offers more insights. He has discovered a mechanism by which aspirin can help prevent cancer spread, a process known as metastases.
Metastasis is responsible for most Death associated with cancerAs cancer cells are separated from the original tumor and they try to root somewhere else on the body.
Because these cancer cells float, aspirin can improve the natural ability of the body to return, preventing cancer cells to catch more organs.
How can aspirin prevent cancer spread?
The key to the influence of aspirin on cancer lies in the body’s immune system, the complex network of cells and proteins that defend against infections, diseases and harmful germs.
When the cancer cells are separated from the tumor, they enter the bloodstream, where the immune system-a specifically type of white blood cells known as t-stanica-normally hunting and destroying them. However, platelets – tiny cell fragments in the blood that help in clotting – can interfere with this process.
Cancer utilizes thrombocytes by launching an answer similar to an injury. When thrombocytes detect cancer cells without cork, they rush them to coat them, similar to covering the wound to stop the bleeding.
This creates a protective shield, which makes the immune system make it difficult to recognize and attack cancer cells. In addition, platelets release signals that suppress T-cells, preventing them from doing their job.
Aspirin interferes with cancer attempts to cunning by reducing the production of molecules that platelets use to suppress immune activities. When platelets weakened, T-cells restore their ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells before they have the opportunity to form new tumors.
How can aspirin be used against cancer?
The study suggests that aspirin can be used after treatment such as surgery where tumors are removed.
This is because some cancer cells may have already escaped from the tumor and began to settle in other parts of the body, the process known as Sejda, where small cancer cells are installed in new areas and can later grow into tumors.
However, experts warn that they immediately use aspirin as cancer treatment without further research. The amount of painkillers carries the potential for serious side effects such as internal bleeding because the weakening of platelets can weaken their ability to help in the blood.
Aspirin blocks the molecule that gives thrombocytes to collect. This blood makes it thinner and increases the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. This is especially dangerous in the stomach, where aspirin can irritate the mucous membranes and cause ulcers, and in the brain, where it increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke if the tiny blood vessel cracks.
In addition, the study was conducted on mice, not people, so that its effects on the expansion of cancer are still needed to be confirmed before it can be recommended for treatment.
“Our research provides a molecular explanation for the observation of clinical studies, but it still needs an appropriate clinical validation,” said Rahul Roychoudhuri, a professor at the Cambridge Department of Pathology, which was part of the nature study, for Al Jazeera.
Several clinical trials are underway, such as an aspirin addition to the United Kingdom, Ireland and India Which patients They will most likely have the most benefit from taking aspirin and whether it works for certain types of cancer.
Roychoudhuri added that he did not anticipate the “immediate rapid translation” aspirin to cancer treatment.
Is aspirin used against illness in the past?
Some patients with high genetic risk for cancer, such as those with Linca syndrome (a condition that increases the likelihood of developing certain cancers), are already recommended aspirin as a preventive measure in countries like Australia and the UK.
Since the 1980s, Aspirin has also been prescribed for help prevent heart attacks And moves in people who are high risk of heart disease, reducing the thrombocyte ability to form harmful clots that can block blood flow to the heart or brain. This effect of coating helps help reduce the risk heart attacks in those with a history of cardiovascular disease.
Does this mean that we are close to the breakthrough in the treatment of cancer?
Not necessarily. Although aspirin can help slow down or prevent cancer spread, it does not remove the tumors completely.
However, scientists work to identify biomarker – measurable signs in the blood – and thrombocyte activities to help detect individuals at risk of cancer early.
“This would allow for timely aspirin treatment, at the same time minimizing unnecessary exposure to those who do not require it,” said Paola Patrignani, a professor of pharmacology at Gabriele D’Annunzio University in Italy.
Experts say the findings could also contribute to the development of drugs that inhibit the spread of cancer.
“Our discoveries open up opportunities for the development of multiple targeted therapies that could potentially provide benefits without aspirin side effects,” Roychoudhuri said.
Patrignani, who is involved in a study that funded the Cancer Research UK to investigate whether other trombocyte drugs, such as Klopidogrel, can offer similar advantages, he says that these studies will need to complete another three to five years.
However, it is optimistic where it was explored. “We are on the threshold of significant breakthrough in cancer research. This new knowledge could put the path for innovative treatments and potentially save countless life. “
Why does the cure for cancer remain so elusive?
Finding a cure for cancer remains one of the biggest challenges in medicine.
As there are many different types of cancer, each with its own characteristics and ways of spreading, it is difficult to develop a universal drug.
In addition, tumor development is influenced by a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Studies propose This treatment must be personalized to be truly effective.
Many cancer also develops Ways to hide from or suppressing the immune system, making them a heavier attack even immunotherapy.
