A team of Australian scientists has identified a mechanism by which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, could block the spread of cancer cells in the body and prevent cancer metastasis.
According to scientists in the journal Cell , tumors usually secrete proteins and compounds, called growth factors, that allow cancer to develop and, simultaneously, increase the diameter of the lymphatic vessels, responsible for the supply and transport of cells in the system. immune to the whole organism. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin would act by reducing the widening of the lymphatic vessels and, in this way, limit the possibility of a tumor spreading to other parts of the patient's body. Given that the majority of cancer-related mortality is due to metastases to distant sites from the initial tumor, the finding could help improve the treatment and prognosis of the disease.
