Summary
Ciprofloxacin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Colorectal Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Colorectal Cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 4 registered trials linking Ciprofloxacin to Colorectal Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 2 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT06728072). It plans or enrolled 97 participants. Registration activity spans 2006 to 2025. No published literature item is linked to Ciprofloxacin and Colorectal Cancer in the OSMF database yet, so the record rests on registry entries alone. Registry entries describe intent to study, not outcomes.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Colorectal Cancer ranks 1212 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Essentially zero; 5-year survival stage I: ~90% (resectable); stage IV: ~15% overall, ~20-30% with modern therapy and liver metastasis resection.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 31.5 (trials 11.5, literature 0.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 4 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 2 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 0 |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
| Linked via biomarker / target | ABL1 |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00332163 | Skin Toxicity Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC) Patients Receiving Panitumumab + Irinotecan-based Therapy 2006 | completed | Phase 2 | 95 |
| NCT06728072 | Addition of Antibiotics to Upfront Treatment Regimen for Colorectal Cancer 2025 | recruiting | Phase 2 | 97 |
| NCT02682485 | Serial Endoscopic Surveillance & Direct Topical Antibiotics to Define the Role of Microbes in Anastomotic Healing 2017 | withdrawn | Phase 2 | — |
| NCT04003181 | The Pathogenesis of Chronic Diarrhoea After Treatment for Cancer in Cecum and the Ascending Colon 2017 | completed | Not applicable | 64 |
Published literature
No publication is linked to this pair yet.
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target ABL1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ciprofloxacin approved for Colorectal Cancer?
Ciprofloxacin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Colorectal Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Colorectal Cancer. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Ciprofloxacin in clinical trials for Colorectal Cancer?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 4 registered trials linking Ciprofloxacin to Colorectal Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 2 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT06728072). It plans or enrolled 97 participants. Registration activity spans 2006 to 2025.
What does the evidence show for Ciprofloxacin in Colorectal Cancer?
Ciprofloxacin has 2 completed registered trials for Colorectal Cancer but no linked publication, which usually means results are unpublished, pending, or not yet matched to this record. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target ABL1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.