A 4,000-year-old drug, most commonly used for pain relief, is proving capable of preventing the formation and spread of certain tumors in the body—a discovery that is already influencing health policies, writes the BBC.
Nick James, a British carpenter in his forties, began worrying about his health after his mother died of cancer and his brother, along with several other family members, were diagnosed with colon cancer. He decided to undergo genetic testing, which revealed he carried a damaged gene causing Lynch Syndrome, a condition that significantly increases the risk of this type of cancer.
Help came from an unexpected direction. James became the first person enrolled in a clinical trial aimed at testing whether a daily dose of aspirin—an over-the-counter painkiller—could protect against the development of cancer.
Depending on the type of genetic mutation, 10% to 80% of people with Lynch Syndrome develop colon cancer during their lifetime. But so far, everything looks promising for James. "He has been taking aspirin for 10 years and has shown no signs of cancer to date," says John Burn, professor of clinical genetics at Newcastle University, who led the study.
This sounds almost unbelievable, but there has long been evidence that this drug could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer spreading, or even prevent its onset. Over the past year, a series of studies and trials have strengthened this idea. Some countries have even changed medical guidelines, including aspirin as a first-line defense for high-risk individuals (though experts emphasize this should only be done under medical supervision). Meanwhile, scientists are beginning to understand why this drug has such a unique effect.
Recent discoveries add a new twist to the story of one of the oldest and most effective drugs known to humanity. At the end of the 19th century, archaeologists discovered 4,400-year-old clay tablets in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Nippur, in present-day Iraq. They contained lists of medicines prepared from plant, animal, and mineral ingredients. Among them were instructions for a substance extracted from the willow tree.
Today, it is known that this substance contains salicin, a compound that the body converts into salicylic acid, which helps relieve pain. Its structure is very similar to modern aspirin—acetylsalicylic acid—but more irritating to the stomach. Other ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, also used this remedy.
The modern study of this substance began in 1763, when English clergyman Edward Stone wrote to the Royal Society about the fever-reducing properties of dried willow bark. About a century later, scientists managed to synthesize salicylic acid in a less aggressive form—acetylsalicylic acid—and marketed it under the Bayer brand name.
A century later, scientists discovered other unexpected benefits of aspirin, particularly in preventing cardiovascular diseases. It helps thin the blood and reduce platelet stickiness, lowering the risk of clots. For this reason, institutions like the British health service recommend low daily doses for people at high risk of heart attack or stroke.
In 1972, attention shifted to cancer after a study on mice injected with tumor cells. American scientists found that adding aspirin to their water significantly reduced the risk of cancer spreading in the body—a process known as metastasis.
However, although the discovery sparked interest, it was unclear whether this effect would have the same impact on humans. For a long time, it remained more of a scientific curiosity than a potentially revolutionary treatment.
A turning point came in 2010, when researcher Peter Rothwell from the University of Oxford re-examined data on aspirin use for cardiovascular diseases. His analyses showed that the drug could reduce both the occurrence and spread of cancer, reigniting interest in its role in fighting the disease.
However, proving that aspirin prevents cancer in the general population is extremely difficult. An ideal study would require dividing people into two groups—one taking aspirin and another taking a placebo—and following them for decades. This makes such a trial nearly impossible to conduct.
For this reason, scientists have focused on specific groups, such as people who have previously had cancer or those with a genetic predisposition to develop it.