Table 2.
System | Differential diagnosis | Investigations |
Drug-induced liver injury | (1) Other co-administered anti-cancer drugs; (2) Alcohol related liver disease; and (3) Acetaminophen toxicity | Medication history |
Tumor-related | Metastatic disease | Abdominal imaging with ultrasound, CT or MRCP |
Infectious | (1) Sepsis; (2) Acute HAV infection; (3) Acute HBV or flare of chronic HBV; (4) Chronic HCV; (5) Acute HEV; (6) Acute CMV or reactivation; and (7) Acute EBV | (1) Septic screen as appropriate; (2) Anti-HAV (IgM); (3) HBsAg, Anti-HBc IgG, IgM, ± HBV DNA; (4) Anti-HCV ± HCV RNA; (5) Anti-HEV (IgM); (6) CMV IgM and IgG ± CMV DNA; and (7) EBV IgM and IgG |
Biliary disease | (1) Cholecystitis; (2) Cholangitis; and (3) Pancreatitis | (1) Abdominal imaging; and (2) Serum lipase |
Autoimmune | Autoimmune hepatitis1 | ANA, Anti-SMA, Anti-LKM1, serum IgG levels |
Musculoskeletal | (1) Myositis (potentially an irAEs); and (2) Rhabdomyolysis | Serum CK |
Metabolic | Underlying NASH | (1) Metabolic risk factors; and (2) Abdominal imaging for hepatic steatosis |
Vascular | (1) Portal-vein/hepatic vein thrombosis; and (2) Ischemic hepatitis | Abdominal imaging and clinical history |
Although anti-nuclear antibodies is frequently positive at low-titres in IC (< 1:80), specific auto-antibodies seen in autoimmune hepatitis are usually negative.
ANA: Anti-nuclear antibodies; Anti-HBc: Anti-Hepatitis B core antibody; anti-LKM1: Anti-liver-kidney microsomal 1 antibody; Anti-SMA: Anti-smooth muscle antibody; CK: Creatine kinase; CMV: Cytomegalovirus; CT: Computed tomography; EBV: Epstein-Barr virus; HAV: Hepatitis A virus; HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; HCV: Hepatitis C virus; HEV: Hepatitis E virus; irAEs: Immune-related adverse events; MRCP: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography; NASH: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.