Abstract: Recently, aspirin (ASA) has been found to be of antineoplastic activity. Apart from the classical pathway of inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), there are major COX-2-independent pathways governing the anticancer mechanisms of ASA, including induction of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), regulation of NF-κB pathway and the Bcl-2 family, together with inhibition of Akt, mTOR and ERK activation. Of note, ASA’s antitumor activity varies in different types of cancer cells. In the same cancer cell, ASA triggers apoptosis via different pathway induced by distinct factors. Overall, the anticancer effects of ASA are diversified and cell-type specific.

Key words: COX-2-independent pathways, Aspirin, anticancer activity