title: Silibinin administration improves hepatic failure due to extensive liver infiltration in a breast cancer patient.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Silibinin exerts hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. Several pre-clinical studies have shown anti-tumoral activity of silibinin in breast cancer cell lines.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present the case of a heavily pre-treated breast cancer patient with extensive liver infiltration. The patient presented with progressive liver failure despite several chemotherapy treatments, including paclitaxel, capecitabine and vinorelbine. After four cycles of a fourth-line chemotherapy treatment consisting of carboplatin and gemcitabine, the patient's liver blood test results deteriorated to life-threatening levels. The compassionate use of Legasil®, a new commercially available nutraceutical product containing a new silibinin formulation, was offered to the patient according to article 37 of the 2013 Declaration of Helsinki. After treatment initiation, the patient presented clinical and liver improvement, which permitted the patient to continue palliative chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first case report of a clinical benefit of silibinin administration in a breast cancer patient.
authors: Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Girona, Catalonia, Spain jbosch@iconcologia.net.
authors: Joaquim
authors: J
authors: Bosch-Barrera
authors: Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Girona, Catalonia, Spain Metabolism & Cancer Group, Translational Research Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors: Bruna
authors: B
authors: Corominas-Faja
authors: Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Girona, Catalonia, Spain Metabolism & Cancer Group, Translational Research Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors: Elisabet
authors: E
authors: Cuyàs
authors: Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Girona, Catalonia, Spain Unit of Clinical Research, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors: Begoña
authors: B
authors: Martin-Castillo
authors: Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors: Joan
authors: J
authors: Brunet
authors: Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Girona, Catalonia, Spain Metabolism & Cancer Group, Translational Research Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors: Javier A
authors: JA
authors: Menendez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077385:Silybin; D012838:Silymarin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D012838:Silymarin; D014810:Vitamin E; D000077385:Silybin
keywords: Breast cancer; Legasil®; carboplatin; chemotherapy; gemcitabine; hepatic failure; silibinin; silimarin; vitamin E