Repeated Perforation of the Gallbladder in a Patient with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Lenvatinib.

A 59-year-old man who was receiving lenvatinib as a third-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor to treat hepatocellular carcinoma and multiple bone metastases complained of general fatigue four months after starting lenvatinib. A blood examination showed unexpectedly elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Computed tomography (CT) revealed rupture of the gallbladder wall, indicating gallbladder perforation. After conservative treatment, the patient received lenvatinib again under informed consent; however, one month later, CT revealed repeated rupture of the gallbladder wall. Gallbladder perforation had again been induced by lenvatinib. For this reason, lenvatinib is strongly considered a causative drug for gallbladder perforation.

Tegafur-uracil-induced rapid development of advanced hepatic fibrosis.

Tegafur-uracil has been reported to have only minor adverse effects and is associated with liver injury in 1.79% of Japanese patients. The development of tegafur-uracil-induced hepatic fibrosis with portal hypertension is rare. Here, we report a case of a 74-year-old woman with rapidly developing tegafur-uracil-induced hepatic fibrosis. The patient had no history of liver disease and had been treated with tegafur-uracil for 8 mo after breast cancer surgery. The patient was admitted to our hospital for abdominal distension and leg edema associated with liver dysfunction. Computed tomography imaging revealed massive ascites and splenomegaly, and a non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis indicated advanced fibrosis. The histopathological findings revealed periportal fibrosis and bridging fibrosis with septation. The massive ascites resolved after discontinuing tegafur-uracil. These findings suggest that advanced hepatic fibrosis can develop from a relatively short-term administration of tegafur-uracil and that non-invasive assessment is useful for predicting hepatic fibrosis.