Duration and severity of fatty metamorphosis of the liver following L‐asparaginase therapy

Abstract

Histologic sections of liver obtained at postmortem examination from 31 patients who received L‐asparaginase therapy for various hematologic malignancies were reviewed to define the incidence, severity, and duration of fatty metamorphosis. Twenty‐seven of the patients had hepatic lipidosis of varying degrees of severity up to 261 days following the last dose of L‐asparaginase. The high frequency and the persistence of hepatic changes following L‐asparaginase could have an influence on subsequent therapy with other antileukemic agents that are metabolized by the liver or are themselves potentially hepatotoxic. Copyright © 1971 American Cancer Society