The Asp-PSC Study
Prevention is better than a cure
Recruiting now
How do I take part?
If a hospital near you is involved in this study, Ask about Asp! Asp-PSC is one of the largest ever clinical trials in PSC, meaning that you may be able to take part in a small hospital in your area. Speak to your PSC doctor today to find out about taking part. You can also find more information about what's involved and who can take part below.
Ask the Expert Webinar
Doctor Rushbrook and Professor Khan joined us along with a patient who is taking part in the Asp-PSC Study. They talked about the study and and answered many of your questions. You can watch (or rewatch!) this session on our YouTube channel here.
About Asp-PSC
PSC is an autoimmune disease affecting the bile ducts and liver. Most people with PSC also have (IBD). We know that some people with PSC go on to develop liver failure and so need a transplant, and some people with both PSC and IBD have an increased risk of cancer of either the liver, bile ducts, gallbladder or bowel. Although they have a yearly colonoscopy (to look for signs of bowel cancer) detecting other cancers is currently more challenging.
Recent studies suggest that aspirin may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, but aspirin's effects have not yet been tested specifically in people with PSC. The Asp-PSC study will look at whether people with both PSC and IBD who take aspirin have a lower risk of developing a PSC-related cancer and a lower risk of needing a liver transplant.
| Trial Name | The Asp-PSC Study
Effect of Aspirin on Reducing Cancer & Improving Outcomes in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis |
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier | ISRCTN12358813 |
| Phase | 3 |
| Intervention | Aspirin or placebo (dummy drug) once daily for 5 years |
| Recruiting now? | Yes |
| Participating Centres | For the latest sites see our Asp-PSC Trial Centre list or check out our PSC Support map
Get alerts when new sites open near you: |
| Liver disease diagnosis | Primary sclerosing cholangitis |
| Age | 18 and over |
| Females: can I be pregnant? | Yes |
| Is IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) allowed? | Yes - you need to have PSC and IBD to take part |
| Is there an ALP (alkaline phosphatase) requirement? | No |
| Can I take UDCA (Urso),mesalazine, azathioprine or mercaptopurine, or a biologic therapy? | If you are already on ursodeoxycholic acid (also known as UDCA or urso), mesalazine, azathioprine or mercaptopurine, or a biologic therapy for your IBD, the dose must have remained the same for 12 weeks before you start the study. |
| Can I take part if I have a stent? | Yes |
| Are recent acute cholangitis (ie bacterial cholangitis) attacks allowed? | Yes |
| Can I take part if I have had a liver transplant? | Unfortunately, you cannot take part if you have had liver transplant. |
| Is cirrhosis allowed? | Yes |
| Previous studies and information | Review of aspirin in cancer: Shen X, Shen X. A potential role for aspirin in the prevention and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. International Journal of Cancer. 2021 Mar 15;148(6):1323-30. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33323
Aspirin May reduce the spread of Cancer: Yang J, Yamashita-Kanemaru Y, Morris BI, Contursi A, Trajkovski D, Xu J, Patrascan I, Benson J, Evans AC, Conti AG, Al-Deka A. Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA2 suppression of T cell immunity. Nature. 2025 Mar 5:1-0. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08626-7 |
| Are travel expenses covered? | Yes |
| Procedures and tests include: |
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| How many study visits will there be? How long will each study visit be? | There are 12 visits to the hospital in total. |
| Duration of study (treatment duration/follow-up) | The treatment duration will be for 5 years in total with a maximum period of follow-up for 5 years. You will not be expected to attend any trial visits in the follow-up period as data will be collected from your health records. |
| Basic design of study | A multicentre, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial. |
| How is the study drug thought to work? | Research suggests that aspirin might reduce cancer risk by acting on various molecular pathways that promote cancer. |
| More detailed information about the trial | Patient information Sheet |
| Link to sponsor | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/department-surgery-cancer/research/cancer/research-areas/clinical-trials/ |
Thinking of taking part?
- Check how suitable you are by looking at the information below.
- Check our map to see if you can get to a study site.
- Contact the research team for more details if you think you are suitable. Check back regularly as we are adding more contact info every day.
- Got a question? Our Clinical Trials Pack has lots of information about how to join clinical trials, switching hospitals for trials and what's involved.
- Contact us if you need any help.