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Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough they're describing as a 'eureka moment' as it's discovered that aspirin could be the key to preventing the spread of cancers throughout the body.
Cancer in its many forms is one of the most dangerous and deadly diseases that we face as humans, and in most cases it proves challenging, if not impossible, to properly deal with.
Previous breakthroughs have been made when dealing with brain cancer, alongside new 'molecular jackhammers' that destroy cancer cells, but a new unexpected discovery might just change how scientists prevent cancer from spreading.
As reported by Sky News, researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered that simple off-the-shelf aspirin gives your body a better chance of fighting the spread of cancer to the lungs and liver.
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It was discovered in a 'eureka moment' that encompasses a lengthy chain of events in the body, all of which are routed in a gene which produces a protein called 'ARHGEF1'.
Unexpectedly, this particular protein suppresses a particular type of immune cell called a T cell, essentially preventing it from working. T cells play a key role in both identifying and destroying cancer cells that travel throughout the body, otherwise known as metastatic cells.
From this, they were able to unpredictably identify that the aforementioned gene is 'activated' when T cells are exposed to a clotting factor called thromboxane A2 (TXA2), which is in turn prevented when you ingest aspirin.
That means that, upon taking aspirin, your body reduces the production of the thromboxane A2 clotting factor, stopping it from reaching your T cells, which then subsequently stops the ARHGEF1-producing gene from activating.
While a complex chain of events, it represents a major breakthrough that could revolutionize how scientists treat cancer - especially in those at risk of it spreading around their body.
"It was an entirely unexpected finding which sent us down quite a different path of inquiry than we had anticipated," outlined Dr. Jie Yang, who led the Cambridge study.
He also added that "aspirin, or other drugs that could target this pathway, have the potential to be less expensive than antibody-based therapies, and therefore more accessible globally."
You do have be careful when taking aspirin though, as a small number of people can become exposed to dangerous side effects such as internal bleeding or stomach ulcers.
That means that it's not a one-and-done fix that will apply or be worthwhile for everyone, but if you're able to take aspirin with no issues then this could very well be a proverbial magic bullet against cancer.
