Researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered how aspirin may help stop some cancers from spreading – a finding that could lead to more effective and accessible treatments for patients at risk of recurrence.
The team, based in the Department of Pathology, discovered that aspirin reduces the spread, or metastasis, of some cancers by reactivating the body’s immune defences. The breakthrough explains how low-dose aspirin, already linked to reduced metastasis in cancers like breast, bowel and prostate, works at a cellular level.
The scientists were initially investigating how the immune system responds to cancer cells that break away from the primary tumour. These cells are particularly vulnerable to immune attack – but often escape detection due to signals that suppress immune responses.
While screening hundreds of genes in mice, the team found that one protein – ARHGEF1 – suppressed T cells, the immune cells responsible for attacking rogue cancer cells. Intriguingly, they traced the activation of ARHGEF1 to thromboxane A2 (TXA2), a clotting agent produced by platelets.
Here came the twist: TXA2 is already known to be targeted by aspirin, which reduces its production. This link revealed that aspirin, by suppressing TXA2, may free T cells to attack and eliminate early metastatic cancer cells.
Dr Jie Yang, the study’s first author, described the moment of discovery as a “Eureka moment”, as the team realised their findings could explain aspirin’s anti-metastatic properties – a theory previously supported by clinical observations but not biologically understood.
The findings will support existing trials, such as the Add-Aspirin study led by Professor Ruth Langley at UCL. While promising, scientists caution that aspirin isn’t suitable for everyone due to side effects like bleeding and ulcers. Patients should always consult their doctors before taking it.
Lead researcher Professor Rahul Roychoudhuri told Medical News Today:
“We hope therapies that target this immune window will help prevent recurrence in early-stage cancer patients.”
With further research, aspirin – already affordable and widely available – could play a key role in future cancer care.
