People who have cancer have to undergo chemotherapy, a treatment that kills cancer cells, but at the same time can damage healthy cells in the process.
Chemotherapy can have liver damage as a side effect , this is because the liver is the organ that is responsible for breaking down intravenous or oral medications, this being a very strong one (Sharma et al., 2014).
At the beginning of the treatment, they have to do tests on a regular basis to be able to detect any abnormality in the liver enzymes or any other damage to the organ, especially if you suffer from hepatitis or any other liver condition.
Take a look at the effects chemotherapy can have on the liver .
Side effects of chemotherapy on the liver
1. High levels of liver enzymes
Enzymes are responsible for speeding up chemical reactions in the body. In the liver, enzymes help flush out toxins, produce bile, and break down nutrients provided by food.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, when liver enzymes are higher than normal , it can be a sign of liver inflammation. This is a response to the extra work the organ has to do to metabolize chemotherapy drugs while the person is on treatment.
However, sometimes liver enzymes can be high in blood test results, even if the patient's liver is working well, as some medications can cause different patterns of abnormalities. Therefore, the oncologist must closely observe the patient's blood test throughout the treatment to determine any abnormalities.
2. High bilirubin levels
Another side effect that chemotherapy can cause is that it can damage liver cells causing an increase in bilirubin, a byproduct of red blood cells found in bile. When the body is unable to excrete excess bilirubin , the skin and whites of your eyes can turn yellow, called jaundice (Subbiah and Howard, 2016).
Depending on the level of the extent of jaundice and how you are responding to chemotherapy treatment, the oncologist can assess your bilirubin levels and adjust your treatment accordingly. Experts indicate that there is a threshold for the amount of abnormality that should be occurring and depending on how high the numbers are, they may take a short break, adjust medications, or resume chemotherapy with a lower dose.
3. Damage caused by chemicals or drugs
Damage to the liver caused by chemicals or medications is known as hepatotoxicity (Grigorian & O'Brien, 2014). People suffering from this condition can develop jaundice, stomach pain, and fatigue.
In this case, some patients may need to stop the drugs that are processed through the liver, but this condition is not for life: many times the liver can be affected during the treatment, but then recovers once it is finished .
conclusion
Chemotherapy treatment is essential to help people with cancer overcome this disease, but can sometimes be very aggressive, causing some side effects to various organs, including the liver.
Therefore, it is important to know some of the problems that it can cause and to keep up to date to report them to your doctor, in order to allow you a satisfactory recovery.
References
- Grigorian, A. and O'Brien, C. (2014). Hepatotoxicity Secondary to Chemotherapy. Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology . doi: 10.14218 / JCTH.2014.00011
- Sharma, A., Houshyar, R., Bhosale, P., Choi, J., Gulati, R. and Lall, C. (2014). Chemotherapy induced liver abnormalities: an imaging perspective. Clinical and Molecular Hepatolog and. doi: 10.3350 / cmh.2014.20.3.317
- Subbiah, V. and Howard, J. (2016). Jaundice (Hyperbilirubinemia) in Cancer. Jama Oncology . doi: 10.1001 / jamaoncol.2016.1236
