Secondary Sclerosing Cholangitis due to Drugs With a Special Emphasis on Checkpoint Inhibitors

Natural History of Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury and Prognostic Models

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) remains a leading cause of acute liver failure worldwide. Drugs such as isoniazid, alone or in combination with other anti-tuberculosis drugs, as well as a growing number of herbal and complementary medicines, have been implicated in most cases of acute liver failure in registry studies.

METHODS

This review summarizes current knowdledge on the acute and chronic outcomes in patients with idiosyncratic DILI and discusses several of the existing prognostic models.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The reasons why some individuals progress from DILI to end-stage liver disease are still largely unknown. However, collaborative efforts over the past few decades have provided figures on the relative incidence of drug-induced acute liver failure and allowed the development of prognostic models to predict this worse outcome at the onset of the event. The outcome of chronic DILI is less well characterised due to the lack of sufficient follow-up in cohort studies, but several phenotypes of DILI can progress to chronicity, and specific drugs such as nitrofurantoin or amiodarone are classic examples of agents leading to chronic forms of DILI. Therapy for drug-induced acute liver failure and chronic DILI is mainly supportive, although some randomised clinical trials have shown beneficial effects of N-acetylcysteine and corticosteroids.

Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Is Effective and Safe to Treat Cholestatic Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Liver Injury

INTRODUCTION

Checkpoint Inhibitor-induced Liver Injury (CHILI) is a frequent complication of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Corticosteroids are the standard treatment but have many limitations. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) offers an alternative for managing cholestatic CHILI, but its efficacy remains underexplored.

METHODS

A multicenter retrospective study included 27 patients treated with first-line UDCA monotherapy. Data were collected from diagnosis to week 52, assessing liver enzyme improvement, recurrence, and outcomes.

RESULTS

UDCA alone achieved improvement in 81.5% of patients, with an average response time of 39.3 days. Among patients, 77.8% had severe CHILI (CTCAE grade ≥ 3). Macroscopic bile duct injury was observed in 37%, associated with higher recurrence rates (75%, p < 0.001). Recurrent CHILI led to chronic CHILI in all cases. ICI rechallenge was conducted in 52% of patients, with only 23% experiencing relapse.

CONCLUSION

UDCA monotherapy appears effective for cholestatic CHILI, presenting a viable alternative to corticosteroids. Further prospective studies are warranted.