Aspirin inhibits platelets from reprogramming breast tumor cells and promoting metastasis

It is now recognized that compounds released from tumor cells can activate platelets, causing the release of platelet-derived factors into the tumor microenvironment. Several of these factors have been shown to directly promote neovascularization and metastasis, yet how the feedback between platelet releasate and the tumor cell affects metastatic phenotype remains largely unstudied. Here, we identify that breast tumor cells secrete high levels of interleukin 8 (IL-8, CXCL8) in response to platelet releasate, which promotes their invasive capacity. Furthermore, we found that platelets activate the Akt pathway in breast tumor cells, and inhibition of this pathway eliminated IL-8 production. We therefore hypothesized inhibiting platelets with aspirin could reverse the prometastatic effects of platelets on tumor cell signaling. Platelets treated with aspirin did not activate the Akt pathway, resulting in reduced IL-8 secretion and impaired tumor cell invasion. Of note, patients with breast cancer receiving aspirin had lower circulating IL-8, and their platelets did not increase tumor cell invasion compared with patients not receiving aspirin. Our data suggest platelets support breast tumor metastasis by inducing tumor cells to secrete IL-8. Our data further support that aspirin acts as an anticancer agent by disrupting the communication between platelets and breast tumor cells.