Plasma exchange treats severe intrahepatic cholestasis caused by dacomitinib: A case report

RATIONALE: Dacomitinib-induced liver injury is often manifested by mild elevations of transaminases and bilirubin, and severe intrahepatic cholestasis caused by dacomitinib for simultaneous taking orally cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) competitive substrates has been rarely reported. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient was a 69-year-old woman with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who was prescribed oral dacomitinib for a month; she was given oral loratadine due to “allergic rhinitis” and metoprolol extended action tablets due to “tachycardia” separately for a few days during the course of dacomitinib treatment. The patient developed liver damage, increased fatigue, yellow urine, and pruritus, with significantly elevated serum levels of bilirubin and glutamyltranspetidase. DIAGNOSIS: Intrahepatic cholestasis, drug-induced liver injury, and NSCLC. INTERVENTIONS: After admission, the patient was prescribed adenosylmethionine, acetylcysteine, ursodeoxycholic acid capsule, methylprednisolone and fenofibrate for a month, with progressive elevation of liver biochemical parameters. Through drug enzyme gene assays in the liver tissue after percutaneous liver biopsy, we found both CYP2D6*10/*10 and ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 GG variants (rs1045642) positive. After the poor response to the conventional medication, the patient underwent plasma exchange. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged after her liver parameters improved; the parameters remained normal at several follow-up visits, and she renewed the NSCLC regimens without dacomitinib after being evaluated by oncologists. LESSONS: Dacomitinib can induce severe intrahepatic cholestasis. It is considered that patients with intermediate metabolic CYP2D6 are susceptible to drug-induced liver injury caused by dacomitinib; plasma exchange may be an effective treatment.