Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Aspirin - can it cure cancer?

Aspirin stops headaches, reduces fever and prevents blood from clogging. Now a new research shows that the familiar drug can also stop the expansion of cancer tumours.
These findings may be the start of a new generation of cancer cures. The research was published recently in the American Magazine for Experimental Biology.
Many doctors advise patients over the age of 40 to take one Aspirin a day as maintenance for the prevention of heart disease and other circulatory problems. Since it's discovery in the 1930's Aspirin is considered a wonder drug that can help different ailments. Previous research has shown that people who take Aspirin have a reduced chance of having cancer. To find out why this is so, researches have now investigated the effect Aspirin has on cancer tumours. In a research conducted in the University of Newcastle, scientists placed Aspirin in contact with cells that create blood vessels. In a low dosage, the aspirin acids prevented blood vessels from being created. This research has established that the old drug Aspirin can help prevent cancer from spreading. The drug reduces blood veins that supply blood to the tumour, thus "suffocating" it and preventing its growths. This effect slows the disease and can even eliminate it.

The head of the research team, Dr. Helen Arthur, explains: "Blood vessels supply tumours with nutrition and oxygen that allow it to grow. Also the blood vessels are the means that a tumour uses to spread to other pats of the body. The prevention of creating new blood cells leading to a tumour help to kill it and prevent its further spreading." Dr. Arthur emphasizes that without blood vessels around it a tumour cannot become larger than a pea.


Debra

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