Does chemotherapy damage liver function?

Chemotherapy is a relatively special treatment method, which is mainly used in the treatment of cancer. For cancer patients, chemotherapy is the most direct treatment method. Its purpose is to destroy the basic cells in the body and hinder the spread of cancer cells. Therefore, the side effects on the body are quite large and may cause great damage to people's liver and other parts. So, does chemotherapy damage liver function? Let’s take a look at the explanation below.

1. Once liver damage occurs, the patient will often show symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, jaundice, and dull pain in the liver area. At this time, the doctor needs to pay attention to the patient's liver function and take timely measures to protect the liver.

2. Liver function tests can be used to monitor: elevated transaminases and bilirubin, with the elevated bilirubin being mainly direct bilirubin, accompanied by elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT).

3. Abdominal color Doppler ultrasound suggests: The echo in the liver is uneven, and symptoms similar to fatty liver may appear.

4. Liver biopsy suggests: pathological changes of cholestasis or hepatocellular damage.

Effective prevention to help reduce chemotherapy-induced liver damage

1. Before chemotherapy, doctors should carefully evaluate baseline liver function and hepatotropic virus infection, including five hepatitis B tests, hepatitis C antibodies, and hepatitis A, D, and E antibodies if necessary.

2. Strictly grasp the indications for chemotherapy.

3. The patient's age, gender, previous liver damage or underlying liver disease, tumor stage, and pathological type should be fully considered to develop a single-drug or combination drug treatment plan with an appropriate dosage level.

4. As a patient, you should provide comprehensive and accurate disease information and actively cooperate with the doctor in relevant examinations.

In addition, preventive medication can be used before and during chemotherapy. We gave preventive antiviral drugs (nucleoside analogue entecavir) to patients with chronic hepatitis B tumors, and none of them developed liver damage during chemotherapy.

The above is an explanation of how chemotherapy can damage liver function. I hope everyone can understand it and focus on taking good care of their bodies to stay away from the effects of cancer and the side effects of chemotherapy.