Aspirin study against cancer.jpg

Daniel Sallee, a PhD graduate student at Oregon Health & Science University, works on a model that was used in an aspirin study. It showed how low doses can corral cancer cells.

(Oregon Health & Science University)

Oregon scientists have shown low-dose aspirin prevents the spread and growth of cancer.

Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University and Oregon State University found that the same daily doses of aspirin used against strokes and heart attacks also corrals cancer cells, blocking them from traveling to other parts of the body.

Though researchers found a decade ago that aspirin appeared to play a role in preventing cancer, they didn't know how it worked. This study explains the role that aspirin plays, potentially leading to greater use of therapy.

Though aspirin does not kill cancer cells it can prevent tumors from spreading. Metastasized tumors often lead to worse outcomes.

Aspirin doesn't work directly on cancer cells. Instead the anti-cancer effects have to do with its relationship with platelets in the blood. Platelets prevent internal and external bleeding by helping the blood form clots. For some unknown reason, they also help cancer cells move through vessels around the body.

"When a cell becomes a cancer cell in our bodies, it's living in a pretty hostile environment," said Craig Williams, a pharmacy professor at Oregon Health & Science University. "Platelet cells appear to be able to help cancer cells survive in the circulation."

Aspirin dulls that response, effectively containing cancer cells and slowing their growth. It's particularly effective against colon and pancreatic cancers, Williams said.

In the 1980s, researchers discovered that taking a low dose of about 80 milligrams of aspirin on a daily basis can help protect against strokes and heart attacks. A decade ago, they noticed that it seemed to have an effect against cancer as well.

This latest research confirms that.

The OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy scientists studied the effects of aspirin by modeling the cardiovascular system through simulations in the lab. They discovered aspirin prevents platelets from increasing the level of a particular protein that allows cancer cells to proliferate and survive.

Their research could lead to new avenues of study and potential therapies that don't have the same side effects of aspirin. Aspirin can cause bleeding, particularly in the stomach. Low doses limit bleeding. ss

"The main argument of using aspirin against heart disease as well as for cancer is that you have to balance the risk of the bleed with the benefit for the heart or for cancer," Williams said.

A high dose of aspirin used to treat inflammation, headaches or pain has the same beneficial effects as a low dose but raises the risk of bleeding.

The researchers don't recommend that people start using low doses to prevent colon or pancreatic cancer without consulting a physician.

The study was published in the journal AJP-Cell Physiology.

-- Lynne Terry