Cancer surgery can awaken tumor cells, but in mice a cheap pill stops metastasis
Cheap drugstore remedies can prevent the immune system from letting down its anti-cancer guard, according to a new study in mice.
by Sharon Begley
Apr 11, 2018
3 minutes
Bottles of aspirin and ibuprofen won’t soon be carrying labels saying they reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence after surgery, but that kind of cheap drugstore remedy stemmed metastasis in a startling new study in mice.
Although lumpectomy is often curative, in some cases it can activate tiny, distant tumors that had been held in check, sometimes for years, by the immune system. Plain old penny-a-pill NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin, however, can prevent the immune system from letting down its anti-cancer guard, according to a on lab mice published on Wednesday in
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