Get biomarker-directed aspirin after colorectal surgery into labels and guidelines
A Swedish trial found that cheap aspirin roughly halved recurrence in colorectal cancer patients with a particular tumour mutation. Nobody is going to market it, so health systems must adopt it deliberately.
The ALASCCA randomised trial (reported 2025) found that low-dose aspirin for three years reduced recurrence in patients with PIK3CA-mutated colorectal cancer after surgery, following earlier observational signals, while broader trials (ASCOLT, Add-Aspirin ongoing) have shown smaller or no unselected effects. Because aspirin has no sponsor, the result risks slow and uneven adoption. The proposal is a coordinated implementation programme: guideline inclusion (ESMO, NCCN), routine PIK3CA testing at diagnosis as a reimbursed test, third-party label filings where pathways exist, and an implementation registry capturing uptake and outcomes.
- No incentive to repurpose cheap drugs · Old, cheap drugs with anti-cancer signals never get the trials they need because no one profits from the result.
- Knowledge reaches practice too slowly · Knowledge diffusion is slow: it takes years for a proven result to change what most patients receive, and no one can keep up with the literature.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- IdeaGet every Lynch syndrome carrier onto the right dose of aspirin
Shares CAPP2: two years of aspirin cuts bowel cancer in Lynch syndrome by more than a third over 10 years, Aspirin for cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy, Colorectal cancer.
- IdeaA guideline fast track for repurposed drugs with phase 3 evidence but no manufacturer
Shares European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), No incentive to repurpose cheap drugs, Knowledge reaches practice too slowly.
- TermLynch syndrome
Shares CAPP2: two years of aspirin cuts bowel cancer in Lynch syndrome by more than a third over 10 years, Aspirin for cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy, No incentive to repurpose cheap drugs, Colorectal cancer.
- IdeaFund regulator-ready evidence dossiers for the 20 best-supported off-patent drugs
Shares No incentive to repurpose cheap drugs, Knowledge reaches practice too slowly.
- TrialAdd-Aspirin
Shares Aspirin for cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy, No incentive to repurpose cheap drugs, Colorectal cancer.
- TechnologySystematic drug repurposing
Shares ALASCCA, Aspirin for cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy, Colorectal cancer.
- IdeaStrip the platelet coat off travelling tumour cells in ctDNA-positive patients
Shares Aspirin for cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy, No incentive to repurpose cheap drugs, Colorectal cancer.
- IdeaMicro-learning pushed to community oncologists within 30 days of a practice change
Shares European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Knowledge reaches practice too slowly.