Background: Alectinib is a second generation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ALK rearrangements. Hepatotoxicity is the most common adverse drug reaction. However, there is currently no published report on the pathologic findings of alectinib-induced hyperbilirubinemia.
Case presentation: Here, we report a case of a patient with NSCLC and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who was treated with alectinib and developed grade 4 hyperbilirubinemia after 3 years on therapy. Alectinib was discontinued, and an artificial liver support system (ALSS) was used to decline blood bilirubin levels. The pathological manifestations from a liver biopsy showed the hepatocytes with scattered focal necrosis, bile stasis, and vesicular steatosis, bile emboli in capillaries, and star-shaped fibers proliferation in the portal area.
Conclusion: This is the first report of alectinib-induced hyperbilirubinemia which was confirmed by liver histopathology and successfully relieved by ALSS treatment and drug discontinuation.
Keywords: ALK; ALSS; NSCLC; alectinib; hyperbilirubinemia.
© 2024 Zhang et al.