Aims: Reducing the rate of recurrence after curative-intent surgical resection
is an attractive strategy for improving long-term survival in cancer.
Perioperative therapies administered in the period immediately prior to,
during, or after surgery therefore hold the potential to improve overall survival.
Drug repurposing is a source of therapeutic candidates for further
clinical investigation. We aimed to identify noncancer drugs with the potential
to be repurposed as perioperative therapies.

Methods: The Repurposing Drugs in Oncology repurposing database
and PubMed were used for a literature-based search of publications related
to perioperative treatment of cancer. Three clinical trials registrieswere also
searched to identify relevant clinical trialswith survival endpoints. Both the
literature and trial screens were supplemented with additional data known
to the authors.

Results: Fifty-two drugs were identified as potential perioperative therapies,
with 67% having supporting human data. There are few clinical trials
with survival endpoints, mainly in breast and colorectal cancers.
Discussion: The perioperative setting is not as well established as the
neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, making identification of relevant research
and clinical trials difficult. Despite the potential benefits of such interventions,
there is a need for morewell-designed clinical trials, additional
research, and biomarkers of response.

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