A Safety and Effectiveness Study of Pre-operative Artesunate in Stage II/III Colorectal Cancer
Status:
Active, not recruiting
Trial end date:
2025-10-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of pre-operative artesunate given orally
once a day for 14 days prior to surgery in patients with Stage II/III colorectal cancer.
Artesunate is an established antimalarial drug with an excellent safety profile, is well
tolerated and affordable. A number of laboratory studies and one small pilot clinical study
in patients with colorectal cancer have shown that artesunate can reduce the proliferation
and growth of cancer cells.
Two hundred patients diagnosed with Stage II/III operable colorectal cancer will be randomly
allocated to receive oral artesunate 200mg daily or a matching placebo for 14 days prior to
surgery. Patients will be followed up closely for 5 years to see if giving artesunate
preoperatively reduces the risk of cancer recurring after surgery.