Scientists yesterday floated the possibility that aspirin could be used to treat some rare forms of cancer.
Its first appearance in this field might be in gel form to treat an inherited skin condition but it, or one of its stronger anti-inflammatory cousins, might also be effective in fighting breast cancer, the scientists have suggested.
Aspirin's role in preventing heart disease is long established but there has been excitement among scientists because of its potential for reducing the risk of getting some cancers.
Research letters in the science journal Nature take the debate further.
British and Greek scientists have found that a cancer called turban tumour syndrome - in which mushroom-shaped tumours grow out of the scalp and other hairy parts of the body - is caused when the body's inflammatory response becomes overactive. A gene that should control a molecule in this process is damaged, helping to fuel the growth of cancer cells.
The scientists, including a team from Cancer Research UK, believe aspirin or a stronger relative could counter the molecule in the absence of a healthy gene.
Separate research by Dutch scientists supports the theory. They found that aspirin could kill cancer cells in the laboratory.
Alan Ashworth, of Cancer Research UK's gene function and regulation group at the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "Inflamed tissues release a host of growth factors and other molecules that may help keep cancer cells alive, so dampening down the inflammation with drugs like aspirin could be a highly effective anti-cancer treatment in some forms of the disease.
"In the case of turban tumour disease, we think anti-inflammatory drugs could be rubbed into tumours in gel form in order to shrink them."
He said tests might be possible within a year.
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