Hematological side effects of tyrosine kinase inhibition using imatinib

Imatinib (STI571, Gleevec/Glivec) and other small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors are highly effective in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), gastrointestinal stromal tumors and, for example, eosinophilia-associated chronic myeloproliferative disorders. This molecularly targeted approach disrupts abnormal tyrosine kinase dependent signalling pathways, thus providing a preferred treatment option for selected neoplastic disorders with activating mutations of Abelson-, Abl-related-, Kit-, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor A and B genes. Loss of response to imatinib may be due to an acquired resistance of emerging mutant tumor cell clones. Therapy is generally well tolerated. However, toxicities including edema, skin rashes, fatigue, nausea and myelosuppression have been reported. Philadelphia/Bcr-Abl-negative clonal chromosomal abnormalities may develop. Bone marrow trephines obtained from CML patients in complete remission with prolonged pancytopenia secondary to imatinib generally show marrow hypoplasia. Morphological features may be in keeping with either aplastic anemia or myelodysplasia developing in Philadelphia-negative hematopoiesis. Single or multilineage myelodysplasia may be accompanied by an excess of blasts and rarely evolves into acute leukemia in CML patients. Severe adverse hematological effects of imatinib are extremely rare. Current questions involve the molecular mechanisms of hematological side effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors with special regard to the emergence of distinct aberrant clones. © Springer Medizin Verlag 2006.