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Visual disturbance due to retinal edema as a complication of imatinib

Leukemia volume 18, pages 1138–1139 (2004)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

Imatinib is a selective inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. Recent studies revealed that this agent also inhibits kinases other than ABL, such as platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and KIT, and that it is effective for a variety of hematologic and nonhematologic malignancies.1 A variety of adverse events including cytopenia, nausea, vomiting, edema, myalgia, diarrhea, rash, fatigue, and anorexia have been reported in the context of phase I–III trials in chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) and phase II trials in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST),2 while most patients tolerate it at clinically effective doses. Herein, we describe a patient with CML who developed severe ocular complication during treatment with imatinib.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Toranomon Hospital, Japan

    E Kusumi, D Kato, K Yuji, S Miyakoshi, J Ueyama, S Morinaga, S Taniguchi & Y Muto

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Toranomon Hospital, Japan

    A Arakawa

  3. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    M Kami, Y Kishi & N Murashige

Authors
  1. E Kusumi
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  2. A Arakawa
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  3. M Kami
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  4. D Kato
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  5. K Yuji
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  6. Y Kishi
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  7. N Murashige
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  8. S Miyakoshi
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  9. J Ueyama
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  10. S Morinaga
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  11. S Taniguchi
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  12. Y Muto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M Kami.

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Kusumi, E., Arakawa, A., Kami, M. et al. Visual disturbance due to retinal edema as a complication of imatinib. Leukemia 18, 1138–1139 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403364

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403364

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