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Chronic liver disease in children with leukemia in long‐term remission
Author(s) -
Locasciulli Anna,
Vergani Giorgina Mieli,
Uderzo Cornelio,
Jean Gaspare,
Cattaneo Marco,
Vergani Diego,
Masera Giuseppe
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19830915)52:6<1080::aid-cncr2820520625>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - medicine , chemotherapy , gastroenterology , chronic liver disease , liver function , hepatitis , liver function tests , leukemia , liver disease , chronic hepatitis , immunology , virus , cirrhosis
Liver disease during chemotherapy and after its completion was studied in 103 leukemic children in long‐term remission. Seventy developed chronic liver disease during therapy; 22 out of 56 with adequate follow‐up showed persisting abnormality or deterioration of liver function after stopping therapy. In 38 studied prospectively, biopsies were obtained at treatment withdrawal. Five showed chronic lobular, 17 chronic persistent, 9 chronic active hepatitis whereas 7 had minimal changes. These children had transiently detectable serum hepatitis‐B virus (HBV) markers during (44.4%), at completion of (7.8%) and subsequent to (48.3%) chemotherapy. Serum HBV markers correlated significantly with both severity of histologic changes ( P < 0.05) and persistent biochemical abnormalities for over 6 months after treatment suspension ( P < 0.001). No direct relationship was found between drug administration and liver damage. The data from the study suggest that in leukemic children viral infections contribute to chronic liver damage, which can jeopardize the long‐term prognosis of acute leukemia.