Aspirin may help prevent and treat mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure, researchers say.

Mesothelioma attacks the lining of chest wall and kills about 3,200 Americans a year.

University of Hawaii researchers found that  aspirin suppresses a molecule called HMBG1 that plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of malignant mesothelioma.

Inhibiting HMGB1 was found in the lab to dramatically reduce malignant mesothelioma growth.

The researchers theorize that people at high risk of developing mesothelioma could take aspirin as a way to prevent or delay the growth of the cancer, and thus increase their chances of survival.