yulius hermanto
Aspirin Potential in Cancer Therapy
In my previous post about aspirin and prostate cancer, I already told about potential benefit of aspirin in cancer therapy.
Now, i will further emphasize on aspirin usage in cancer therapy.
Cancer Therapy
Cancer therapy is one of the most challenging part of medical knowledge, especially in advanced stage. Since the complete understanding of its pathogenesis isn't clear yet.
Cancer cells often have mutation in short-time, causing drug resistance, further progression, and hard to predict. Because of that, rarely advanced stage or inoperable cancer is curable with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
So, most scientists and doctors agree that early detection of cancer give better treatment option and better survival.
"We will achieve an improvement if we still use the same method" this quote from my senior (Johan Kurnianda, an Oncologist).
So we have to look another option of treatment especially in advanced stage of cancer.
Aspirin is a new paradigm in cancer therapy, a pathway that has been overlooked for many years.
Aspirin in Cancer
Eventhough the knowledge that cancer tissue impair our body coagulation system by several pathways, causing several thrombosis event in vessels.
But, it is rarely, an approved drug to use against it.
Aspirin is an anti-platelet agent, cheap, over-the counter, commonly prescribed especially for people with vascular disease.
Recently, it has published that taking aspirin over a long period of time can substantially cut the risk of dying from a variety of cancers, according to a study showing that the benefit is independent of dose, gender, or smoking. It also found that the protective effect increases with age. The study is by Peter Rothwell, MD, PhD, FRCP, of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England, and colleagues, and has been published online by the journal the Lancet.
Aspirin showed a 21% reduction in the number of deaths caused by cancer among those who had taken aspirin, compared with people who had not. The investigation also showed that the benefits of taking aspirin increased over time. After five years, death rates were shown to fall by 34% for all cancers and by 54% for gastrointestinal cancers.
The fall in the risk of death broke down according to individual types of cancer:
Esophageal cancer (60%)
Colorectal cancer (40%)
Lung cancer (30%)
Prostate cancer (10%)
Reductions in pancreatic, stomach, and brain cancers were difficult to quantify because of smaller numbers of deaths, the authors say.
From the study, we can see that aspirin give better prognosis to several cancer. How can Aspirin give better prognosis since it doesn't kill the cancer cells?
That's true that aspirin never able to kill cancer cell. Aspirin work in different pathway in cancer therapy. Using its anti-platelet potential.
Cancer cells usually surrounded by platelets during migration in blood vessels, thus using platelets to protect them from immune system and to adhere to target site of metastasis.
Aspirin is used to counter that, thus lower metastasis rates and its complications.
Cancer cells also promotes thrombosis event in vessels, aspirin maybe useful to prevent the thrombosis event.
So, Aspirin is used to support the standard treatment (chemotherapy or radiotherapy) in order to achieve better outcome.
But, usage of aspirin should be carefully taken, since of bleeding complication. It should be calculated benefits and hazard before using aspirin in therapy.
But after all, this new paradigm is another way to help cancer patient.
Now, i will further emphasize on aspirin usage in cancer therapy.
Cancer therapy is one of the most challenging part of medical knowledge, especially in advanced stage. Since the complete understanding of its pathogenesis isn't clear yet.
Cancer cells often have mutation in short-time, causing drug resistance, further progression, and hard to predict. Because of that, rarely advanced stage or inoperable cancer is curable with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
So, most scientists and doctors agree that early detection of cancer give better treatment option and better survival.
"We will achieve an improvement if we still use the same method" this quote from my senior (Johan Kurnianda, an Oncologist).
So we have to look another option of treatment especially in advanced stage of cancer.
Aspirin is a new paradigm in cancer therapy, a pathway that has been overlooked for many years.
Aspirin in Cancer
Eventhough the knowledge that cancer tissue impair our body coagulation system by several pathways, causing several thrombosis event in vessels.
But, it is rarely, an approved drug to use against it.
Aspirin is an anti-platelet agent, cheap, over-the counter, commonly prescribed especially for people with vascular disease.
Recently, it has published that taking aspirin over a long period of time can substantially cut the risk of dying from a variety of cancers, according to a study showing that the benefit is independent of dose, gender, or smoking. It also found that the protective effect increases with age. The study is by Peter Rothwell, MD, PhD, FRCP, of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England, and colleagues, and has been published online by the journal the Lancet.
Aspirin showed a 21% reduction in the number of deaths caused by cancer among those who had taken aspirin, compared with people who had not. The investigation also showed that the benefits of taking aspirin increased over time. After five years, death rates were shown to fall by 34% for all cancers and by 54% for gastrointestinal cancers.
The fall in the risk of death broke down according to individual types of cancer:
Esophageal cancer (60%)
Colorectal cancer (40%)
Lung cancer (30%)
Prostate cancer (10%)
Reductions in pancreatic, stomach, and brain cancers were difficult to quantify because of smaller numbers of deaths, the authors say.
From the study, we can see that aspirin give better prognosis to several cancer. How can Aspirin give better prognosis since it doesn't kill the cancer cells?
That's true that aspirin never able to kill cancer cell. Aspirin work in different pathway in cancer therapy. Using its anti-platelet potential.
Cancer cells usually surrounded by platelets during migration in blood vessels, thus using platelets to protect them from immune system and to adhere to target site of metastasis.
Aspirin is used to counter that, thus lower metastasis rates and its complications.
Cancer cells also promotes thrombosis event in vessels, aspirin maybe useful to prevent the thrombosis event.
So, Aspirin is used to support the standard treatment (chemotherapy or radiotherapy) in order to achieve better outcome.
But, usage of aspirin should be carefully taken, since of bleeding complication. It should be calculated benefits and hazard before using aspirin in therapy.
But after all, this new paradigm is another way to help cancer patient.
