Aspirin can slow the progression of malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that usually develops in people who are exposed to asbestos.

This discovery is reported by scientists from the Cancer Center of the University of Hawaii (USA).

According to the authors of the last study, this discovery can give oncologists a new therapeutic option to fight a disease that alone in the United States takes 3200 lives annually, and also helps in the study of other cancers.

The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Cell Death and Disease. In their article, scientists write that aspirin slows the growth of mesothelioma cells by blocking the effects of the molecule HMGB1 (High-Mobility Group Box 1). According to the researchers, it is this molecule that is responsible for the uncontrolled growth of mesothelioma cells.

"HMGB1 is a substance that plays a critical role in initiating and progressing malignant mesothelioma. The suppression of HMGB1 greatly influences the growth of mesothelioma in laboratory mice and significantly improves the survival of animals with this disease, "writes Dr. Haining Yang, the author of the study participating in the university's program of thoracic oncology.

Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is part of a group of non-narcotic analgesics, and is used mainly as an antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent, and as an anti-aggregant for the prevention of thrombosis.

Recently, some scientists have announced the possibility of using aspirin for the treatment and prevention of a number of cancer diseases. Dr. Yang and his colleague Dr. Michele Carbone confirmed the efficacy of aspirin in at least one type of cancer, finding that aspirin is able to block HMBG1.

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that can be the result of exposure to asbestos or its close relative of the erionite mineral. The prolonged presence of asbestos fibers in internal organs initiates chronic inflammation and cell death, which is associated with a high risk of malignant degeneration and the occurrence of mesothelioma.

Hawaiian researchers have suggested that in people at high risk of malignant mesothelioma, taking aspirin can significantly reduce the likelihood of the disease, or at least seriously slow the development of the tumor, increasing the chances of survival.

However, at present, clinical recommendations are still very far away. While scientists are going to conduct laboratory tests to determine the exact mechanism of action of aspirin on the HMGB1 medbe. en.

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