Hepatic steatosis secondary to capecitabine: a case report

There are no known case reports of hepatic steatosis caused by oral fluoropyrimidines such as capecitabine. With increasing use of capecitabine since its approval for the treatment of metastatic colon cancer in 2001, and more recently for adjuvant treatment of colon cancer and treatment of metastatic breast cancer, we can anticipate increased recognition of potential toxicities associated with this 5-fluorouracil derivative.

We report the case of a 74-year-old Armenian woman who received capecitabine as adjuvant treatment for colon cancer and subsequently developed abnormal liver biochemical tests and radiographic findings in keeping with hepatic steatosis. There was complete reversal of liver enzyme abnormalities with discontinuation of the drug and this patient represents a case of reversible liver injury due to capecitabine.

In this original case report, capecitabine use was associated with hepatic steatosis. It is important for clinicians to recognize and monitor for this potential toxicity, which may be a cause of abnormal liver enzymes in this patient population.