Study: Aspirin Could Halt Breast Cancer Growth and Prevent Relapse

A new study suggests that taking aspirin daily could help stop the growth of breast cancer and prevent it from coming back.

Researchers from Veterans Affairs Medical Center published a study in Laboratory Investigation. In the study, they found that a daily dose of aspirin can block the growth of breast tumor cells and fights off cancer stem cell reproduction that can lead to relapse.

"In cancer, when you treat the patient, initially the tumor will hopefully shrink," said Dr Sushanta Banerjee, of Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, via Eureka Alert. "The problem comes five or 10 years down the road when the disease relapses."

Dr Banjeree explains that residual cancer stem cells that survive treatment (i.e. chemotherapy, radiation therapy) will be inactive inside the human body until certain conditions will allow them to reproduce. He added that when they come back, they could come back aggressive.

To test aspirin's efficacy in stopping the spread and changing its molecular signature, Banerjee and his colleagues conducted experiments in mice and incubated cells.

They incubated breast cancer cells and exposed half of it to aspirin, otherwise known as acetylsalicylic acid. The results show that cells exposed to aspirin had more cell death compared to those that were not. Meanwhile, many from the cells that lived were unable to grow.

In the second study, Banerjee used 20 mice models with aggressive tumors. The scientists gave them 75 mg of aspirin for a period of 15 days and studied its effects. By the end of the period, mice who received aspirin had 47 percent smaller tumors.

To test the theory that aspirin could inhibit cancer growth, the researchers gave mice aspirin for 10 days before exposing them to cancer cells. After more than 10 days, they found that the mice had less cancer growth compared to the control group.

Banerjee said that their research allowed them to conclude that aspirin made cancer cells lose their "self-renewal properties." "Basically, they couldn't grow or reproduce. So there are two parts here. We could give aspirin after chemotherapy to prevent relapse and keep the pressure on, which we saw was effective in both the laboratory and the mouse model, and we could use it preventatively," Dr Banerjee explained.

The researchers warn that patients should talk with their health care provider before attempting any aspirin regimen. According to Everyday Health, aspirin can cause side effects such as stomach pain, drowsiness, heartburn, vomiting and nausea.