Australian scientists have found aspirin may contain the spread of cancer by cutting the tumor's supply line, a finding that may pave the way for new treatments to halt cancer in its tracks, according to media reports on Wednesday.

Pinpointing how exactly cancer spreads, scientists at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said tumor's secret proteins and compounds called growth factors, attract blood and lymphatic vessels to their vicinity and allow the cancer to flourish and spread.

These growth factors also encourage lymphatic vessels -- or "supply lines" -- to widen.

Once these lymphatic vessels widen, the capacity for them to act as "supply lines" to tumours and become more effective conduits for the cancer to spread is increased.

The discovery published in Cancer Cell journal could lead to new and improved drugs which could help contain many solid tumours, including breast and prostate cancer.

"This discovery unlocks a range of potentially powerful new therapies to target this pathway in lymphatic vessels, effectively tightening a tumor's supply lines and restricting the transport of cancer cells to the rest of the body," said co-lead author Tara Karnezis.

Last year, a study published in medical journal The Lancet found that rates of cancer of the colon, prostate, lung, brain and throat were all reduced by daily aspirin use. (Agencies)

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