Can Weight-Loss surgery beat drugs for advanced liver damage?
NCT ID NCT06374875
First seen Jul 31, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026
Summary
This trial compares two approaches for treating advanced metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious liver condition linked to obesity. About 120 adults with MASH and liver fibrosis will be randomly assigned to either metabolic surgery (gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) or medical therapy with incretin-based drugs and other medications. After two years, a repeat liver biopsy will check whether each approach improves fibrosis without worsening MASH. The goal is to see which strategy better halts or reverses liver damage.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Metabolic surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) compared with incretin-based therapy (e.g., GLP-1 drugs) plus other medical treatments
- What this could lead to
- If surgery proves more effective than medication, it could establish a new standard for treating advanced MASH, potentially slowing or reversing liver damage and reducing the risk of cirrhosis or liver cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small trial (120 people) and results may not apply to everyone. Surgery carries risks like complications from anesthesia or the procedure itself, and the benefit over medication may not be as clear as hoped.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Banner Health Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGPhoenix, Arizona, 85006, United States
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Clarunis Universitäres
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGBasel, Switzerland
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Cleveland Clinic
RECRUITINGCleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
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Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz
RECRUITINGSão Paulo, Brazil
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Hospital Clínic Barcelona
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGBarcelona, Spain
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Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGGeneva, Switzerland
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Indiana University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGIndianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
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Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGMexico City, Mexico
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King's College Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLondon, United Kingdom
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Kuwait University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGKuwait City, Kuwait
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Linköping University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLinköping, Sweden
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Mayo Clinic
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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McGill University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGMontreal, Canada
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Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGBristol, United Kingdom
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Queen Mary University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLondon, United Kingdom
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Sapienza Università di Roma
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGRoma, Italy
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Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGIndore, India
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The Digestive Health Institute
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGMumbai, India
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Turku University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGTurku, Finland
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University College Dublin
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGDublin, Ireland
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Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGMilan, Italy
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Örebro University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGÖrebro, Sweden
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