Can Aspirin Reduce the Risk of HCC in Cirrhosis: The AspiRe HCC Trial

Overview

This clinical trial is testing whether taking a low dose aspirin tablet (100 mg) once a day can help prevent liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) in people who have cirrhosis, which is severe scarring of the liver. People with cirrhosis have a higher risk of developing HCC. Currently, there is no approved treatment that prevents liver cancer in this group. Research from around the world suggests that low dose aspirin might reduce the risk of liver cancer by up to half and is safe for people with cirrhosis. However, it is not yet approved for this purpose in Australia. A trial is needed to find out if aspirin really can prevent liver cancer in people with cirrhosis and is safe for these people to use. 890 people from up to 7 hospitals across Australia will take part. Participants will take medication daily for 4 years. They will be randomly allocated to either aspirin or a placebo (dummy pill). Participants will continue to have their regular 6 monthly clinic visit with liver ultrasounds and blood tests as part of their normal care. If at any time liver cancer is found, they will stop the trial. Participants will also complete some extra tasks: * Record missed doses or other medications in a small diary. * Fill in two short quality of life surveys each year. * Return their medication and diary at their regular 6 monthly appointments. * In Western Australia only: they will be invited to give optional blood samples for future research.

The AspiRe HCC trial is a large clinical study designed to find out whether daily low-dose aspirin (100 mg) can help prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-the most common form of liver cancer-in people who already have liver cirrhosis. HCC rates are rising in Australia and worldwide and more than 90% of HCC cases occur in people with cirrhosis. Less than 20% of people with cirrhosis have HCC diagnosed early enough for it to be curable. Diagnosis of HCC at an early stage increases the chances of being able to cure it or stop it from growing or spreading. Previous research suggests aspirin may reduce the risk of developing HCC by 50-70%, with stronger benefits in people who already have cirrhosis. Ideally, we need to prevent HCC developing in the first place. However, there is no current treatment to preventing HCC in people with cirrhosis. Experimental studies in animals and humans have shown that that aspirin treatment is safe and may prevent HCC, reducing the risk by at least 50% in people with cirrhosis. Studies from around the world have shown that people taking low-dose aspirin (100 mg daily or sometimes called "mini-aspirin") for other reasons (such as for heart disease or stroke prevention) have a much lower risk of developing HCC. Importantly, people who use aspirin in these settings do not seem to have any increase in the rates of side effects compared to people who do not take aspirin. If proven effective, aspirin could become a simple and affordable preventative treatment, potentially saving hundreds of lives each year and reducing healthcare costs. People with lived experience of cirrhosis and liver cancer have been involved in designing and reviewing the study to ensure it is relevant, ethical and meaningful. They will continue contributing as members of the Trial Steering Committee. This trial is a multi-centre, prospective, pragmatic 4-year RCT of aspirin versus placebo therapy in 890 stable, well-compensated cirrhotic participants attending hospital outpatient clinics and otherwise receiving standard of care treatment at up to seven sites across Australian. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a 100 mg tablet of enteric-coated aspirin daily or placebo therapy, according to a block-randomisation procedure and their date of enrolment in the study. Participants will continue their usual care. At each 6 monthly standard of care visit, during their 4 years on study, the site team will enter data into a REDCap database: * Routine blood test results * Routine liver imaging for monitoring of occurrence of HCC (ultrasound, CT, or MRI) * Routine liver elastography once a year * Any hospital admissions or new symptoms * QOL information via two surveys' (Ed-5q-5L and CLDQ) Western Australian participants may consent to optional additional blood sample collection, at baseline and end of trial, for a biological specimen repository to support future research. All participants will be invited to consent to provision of their MBS/PBS data during the trial, to analyse the cost of treatment and life years saved. Any participant who is diagnosed with HCC during their time on trial has reached the primary endpoint and will cease their participation