Case Report of Acute Toxic Imatinib-induced Hepatitis in a Patient with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Sulfa Allergy, and Rheumatoid Arthritis

The introduction of imatinib has substantially changed the approaches to the therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia. However, this drug can cause hepatic failure and death in rare cases. This report describes a clinical case of acute, toxic imatinib-induced hepatitis in a 56-year-old woman with chronic myeloid leukemia and concomitant sulfa allergy and rheumatoid arthritis. The patient developed acute imatinib-induced hepatitis after three months of treatment with imatinib and three days after increasing the imatinib dosage from 400 mg per day to 600 mg per day, resolving within three months after imatinib discontinuation and prednisolone administration. This confirms the necessity of great caution during imatinib therapy and the monitoring of liver tests. Approximately 25 reports about clinical cases of imatinib-induced hepatitis have been published up to the present.