4,000-year-old aspirin emerges as hope in Cancer prevention

LONDON: A 4,000-year-old painkiller is emerging as a powerful weapon against cancer, with recent studies showing that aspirin may help prevent certain tumours from forming and spreading in the body. The findings are already influencing medical guidelines in some countries, particularly for people at high risk of bowel cancer.

One such patient is Nick James, a British man diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome, a genetic condition that greatly increases the risk of colorectal cancer. After losing his mother to cancer and seeing several relatives affected, James joined a clinical trial led by Professor John Burn of Newcastle University to test whether daily aspirin could reduce cancer risk. More than a decade later, he remains cancer-free.

Lynch Syndrome can give people a 10-80% lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer, depending on the genetic mutation involved. Researchers now believe aspirin could play a major role in lowering that risk.

The drug's cancer-fighting potential has been suspected for decades. Ancient civilisations, including Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, used willow bark - a natural source of salicin, a compound related to aspirin - to treat pain and fever. Modern aspirin, known chemically as acetylsalicylic acid, was later developed in the 19th century.

Scientists first linked aspirin to cancer prevention in the 1970s after experiments on mice showed it could reduce the spread of tumours. However, it was not until 2010 that renewed interest emerged when Oxford University researcher Peter Rothwell reanalysed cardiovascular studies and found aspirin users also had lower cancer rates and reduced cancer spread.

Conducting large-scale trials in the general population remains difficult because cancer can take decades to develop. Researchers have instead focused on high-risk groups, such as people with genetic conditions or previous cancer diagnoses.

Experts are still uncovering how aspirin works against cancer. One theory involves blocking an enzyme called Cox-2, which produces compounds linked to uncontrolled cell growth. Another recent study from researchers at the University of Cambridge suggests aspirin may help the immune system detect and destroy metastatic cancer cells by affecting T-cells.

The growing evidence has prompted some countries to recommend supervised low-dose aspirin use for people at elevated cancer risk. However, doctors warn against self-medication because aspirin can also cause side effects, including stomach bleeding and ulcers.

Despite the risks, scientists say aspirin's long history, low cost and growing evidence base make it one of the most promising tools in cancer prevention research today.

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