Hepatotoxicity due to chemotherapy in magnetic resonance imaging: experience in a health institution in Colombia

Introduction: Drug induced liver injury (or hepatotoxicity) by chemotherapeutic agents can be detected early with magnetic resonance (MRI) sequences with hepatocytes-specific contrast medium.Objective: To describe the radiological findings of drug-induced liver injury by chemotherapeutic agents, visible in the hepatocyte-specific phase of gadoxetic acid enhanced MRI (Gd-EOB-DTPA), in patients with an oncological diagnosis and undergoing chemotherapy.Method: Descriptive and retrospective study that included patients 18 years of age with an oncological diagnosis, chemotherapy management and MRI with Gd-EOB-DTPA contrast medium, treated in a high-complexity healthcare institution in Bogot between January 2020 and October 2022.Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.Results: 56 patients were included.Gastrointestinal neoplasms were the most frequent and the most used chemotherapy regimens were FOLFOX, XELOX and CAPEOX.The finding of diffuse reticular enhancement of contrast medium in the liver parenchyma occurred in 3.6% of patients without alterations in liver function tests.Conclusions: Sinusoidal obstructive syndrome was found in patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy regimens for colon cancer.MRI with hepatocyte-specific contrast medium can detect early the parenchymal changes due to hepatotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic agents.