Majallah-i Dānishgāh-i ’Ulūm-i Pizishkī-i Shahīd Ṣadūqī Yazd (Aug 2013)
Relationship between Chemotherapy and Tamoxifen with Incidence of Fatty Liver in Women with Breast Cancer
Abstract
Introduction: Fatty liver disease is characterized by deposition of fat droplets in the liver of patients. According to some epidemiological studies; BMI, amount of fat intake from foods and high central fat are risk factors of breast cancer. This issue is one of the factors that cause high incidence of fatty liver in patients with breast cancer. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, all patients with breast cancer were evaluated who referred to Imam Sajjad hospital of Ramsar during 2008 - 2011. After initial review, 100 patients were enrolled. Those who were treated by chemotherapy underwent abdominal Sonography for evaluation of fatty liver. Also, those patients who also received tamoxifen in addition to chemotherapy, underwent abdominal ultrasonography 6 months after taking tamoxifen. After that, relationship between treatment of breast cancer and fatty liver in studied patients was evaluated based on obtained information. Results: The study results revealed that after chemotherapy, 30 (30%) patients were reported to have fatty liver. Out of 70 people that after chemotherapy did not have fatty liver, 62 patients received tamoxifen; and after taking tamoxifen, 45.2% developed fatty liver. Using Chi Square test, there was a significant relationship between fatty liver after receiving tamoxifen, hyperlipidemia (p=0.011) and getting overweight (P =0.017). Conclusion: As the findings indicated, treatment of breast cancer especially with tamoxifen is associated with increased risk of fatty liver, especially in women who have hyperlipidemia and are overweight.
