Effect of chemoprevention by low-dose aspirin of new or recurrent colorectal adenomas in patients with Lynch syndrome (AAS-Lynch): study protocol for a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial

Abstract Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common cause of inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) and confers a high lifetime risk of CRC estimated to be up to 60%. Colonoscopy is recommended every 2 years in LS patients above the 20–25-year-old age bracket, and every year when colonic neoplasia has been detected. Efficient chemoprevention has the potential to represent a cost-effective intervention in these high-risk patients and could allow a delay in colonoscopy surveillance. Several epidemiological studies have shown that regular use of low dose aspirin is associated with a 20 to 30% reduction in the risk of sporadic colonic adenomas and colorectal cancer regardless of family risk. However, in recent large randomized trials in specific populations, aspirin use showed no protection for colorectal cancer. A prospective randomized CAPP-2 trial evaluated the effect of aspirin use in LS patients. The primary analysis of this trial showed no significant decrease in CRC in LS patients under daily aspirin. However, a preplanned secondary analysis after an extended follow-up showed a significant reduced risk of CRC in the aspirin group in the per-protocol analysis. The real effect and clinical benefit of aspirin are still to be consolidated in this population. The AAS-Lynch trial—a prospective, multicentric, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial—was designed to investigate if daily aspirin therapy, at a dose of 100 or 300 mg, would decrease the occurrence or recurrence of colorectal adenomas in patients under 75 years of age, compared with placebo. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02813824 . Registered on 27 June 2016. The trial was prospectively registered.