Researchers from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne say they believe that common drugs like aspirin can help arrest the spread of cancer tumors in the body.

New research has discovered the link between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and the ability for cancer tumors to spread. Scientists have known for years that drugs like aspirin can help cancer patients but have been unable to determine exactly why that is the case.

"We've known that tumors actively secrete a range of proteins and compounds, called growth factors, to attract blood and lymphatic vessels from within their immediate vicinity, enabling them to flourish and metastasize, or spread," senior author Associate Professor Steven Stacker said in a statement.

"In this research we have discovered that a gene links these growth factors to the prostaglandin cellular pathway, the pathway that can cause inflammation and dilation of vessels throughout the body.

"Basically, the growth factors released by tumors also encourage nearby collecting lymphatic vessels to widen, increasing the capacity for these 'supply lines' to act as more effective conduits of cancer spread."

Tumors secrete growth factors that attract blood and lymphatic vessels to their vicinity. These growth factors allow tumors to spread and encourage lymphatic vessels to widen. The discovery can help researchers unlock new therapies to treat cancer. Finding out how drugs like aspirin can reverse the widening of lymphatic vessels can help in developing therapies that will tighten those supply lines and restrict the transport of cancer cells to the rest of the body.

"I hope this information is one bit of the puzzle that will lead to a cure for cancer," Co-lead author Dr Tara Karnezis said.

The findings could also warn doctors if a tumor is likely to spread through a patient. The study is being published in the scientific journal Cancer Cell.