Efficacy of comprehensive treatment in reducing liver fibrosis progression in patients after chemotherapy

Oksana Volodymyrivna Prokopchuk; Ihor Yaroslavovych Hospodarskyy; Svitlana Volodymyrivna Danchak

Oksana Volodymyrivna Prokopchuk Department of Higher Nursing Education, Patient Care and Clinical Immunology, I.Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, Ternopil, Ukraine
Ihor Yaroslavovych Hospodarskyy Department of Higher Nursing Education, Patient Care and Clinical Immunology, I.Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, Ternopil, Ukraine
Svitlana Volodymyrivna Danchak Department of Higher Nursing Education, Patient Care and Clinical Immunology, I.Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, Ternopil, Ukraine

Keywords: drug-induced liver injury, polychemotherapy, liver fibrosis, UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid), obesity, liver elastography

Abstract

Drug-induced liver injury, particularly from anticancer agents, is frequently observed in clinical practice. Despite this, there is currently no standardized treatment strategy for such damage, which represents one of the most serious complications of polychemotherapy. This study evaluates the effect of comprehensive treatment on liver fibrosis progression in patients after polychemotherapy. To assess the potential of combined treatment strategies for managing post-hepatitis liver fibrosis as a drug-induced complication of cytostatic therapy for breast cancer in patients with overweight or obesity. The study included women aged 35–79 years with liver fibrosis (F1-F2) and varying BMI levels (normal weight, overweight, and grade I obesity). Participants were divided into two groups: Group I received non-pharmacological therapy (NPT), while Group II was treated with pharmacological therapy (ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and vitamin E). Comprehensive clinical, laboratory, and instrumental evaluations were conducted to compare treatment outcomes. The administration of UDCA (15 mg/kg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day) reduced clinical symptoms, decreased liver stiffness by 17.9% (via shear wave elastography), and normalized liver fibrosis markers (ALT, AST, and Total Bilirubin levels). The proposed treatment significantly reduced liver echogenicity and slowed fibrosis progression in most patients.