Here is some spicy news for cancer patients.

In a major breakthrough, it has been revealed that tumours can be killed without any side effects though a compound called Capsaicin, an active component in chilli that makes spicy food hot and generates the heat in muscle strain remedies.

The revelation may be crucial in the development of a new generation of cancer drugs, a top scientist has said. Capsaicin is commonly used as an active ingredient in muscle rub creams and the treatments for psoriasis.

The tests, which were conducted by a research team at the Nottingham University led by Dr Timothy Bates, have shown positive results -- killing a variety of tumour cells like the pancreatic cancer, which is one of the most difficult to treat and has a five-year survival rate of less than one per cent.

"We appear to have discovered a fundamental weakness with all cancer cells. Capsaicin specifically targets cancerous cells. When released onto cancer cells, capsaicin attacks the mitochondria in the cell, which is responsible for generating ATP, the major energy-producing chemical in the body. Capsaicin specifically binds to the protein within the mitochondria of tumour cells and triggers apoptosis, the process of natural cell death," Dr Bates said.

The fact that capsaicin, part of a group of food compounds called vanilloids, was a common part of the diet in many countries would dramatically reduce the number of regulatory hurdles that any anti-cancer drug would have to overcome, he added.

According to Dr Bates, the findings probably explained why people in countries like India, who traditionally eat a diet which is very spicy, tend to have lower incidences of many cancers that are prevalent in the Western world.