CONTEXT Some melanomas arising from acral, mucosal, and chronically sun-damaged sites harbor activating mutations and amplification of the type III transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase KIT. We explored the effects of KIT inhibition using imatinib mesylate in this molecular subset of disease. OBJECTIVE To assess clinical effects of imatinib mesylate in patients with melanoma harboring KIT al...

Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) is widely-used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumour. Up to four percent of patients treated with imatinib may develop hepatotoxicity, which usually resolves with discontinuation of the drug. We report a 45-year-old Chinese man with CML and chronic hepatitis B virus infection, on imatinib treatment, presenting with he...

Hong Kong Med J ⎥ Volume 20 Number 5 ⎥ October 2014 ⎥ www.hkmj.org An 86-year-old man presented with leukocytosis in December 2009. Bone marrow biopsy showed chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase and cytogenetic studies showed t(9;22)(q34;q11.2) translocation. He was initially put on imatinib 300 mg daily; subsequently, this was increased to 400 mg daily. He developed pruritic skin rash wi...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of imatinib mesylate on platelet aggregation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release in chronic myeloid leukemia patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Platelet aggregation and ATP release induced by 5.0 mM adenosine diphosphate, 0.5 mM arachidonic acid, 1.0 mg/mL ristocetin, and 2 µg/mL collagen were studied by whole blood platelet lum...

AIMS Chemotherapy-induced heart failure is increasingly recognized as a major clinical challenge. Cardiotoxicity of imatinib mesylate, a highly selective and effective anticancer drug belonging to the new class of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, is being reported in patients, some progressing to congestive heart failure. This represents an unanticipated challenge that could limit effective drug use...

Imatinib mesylate is considered the standard first-line systemic treatment for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and functions by targeting BCR-ABL tyrosine kinases. Imatinib has substantially changed the clinical management and improved the prognosis of CML and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia (Ph(+) ALL). Here, we review the pharmacology, mode of action, ...

Imatinib mesylate, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the first line treatment against chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of imatinib mesylate on the pregnant rats and their fetuses. Pregnant rats were divided into three groups; the first group served as a control group. The second and third groups ...

Twenty-eight adults with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) that had relapsed after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) received imatinib mesylate (400-1000 mg/d). Disease was in chronic phase in 5 patients, accelerated in 15, and blastic in 8 (7 medullary, 1 extramedullary); median time from transplantation to relapse was 9 months (range, 1-137 months). Thirteen patients had undergone s...

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare in the rectum. Radical surgery, such as an abdominoperineal resection, is necessary for large rectal GISTs, which can result in the loss of function of involved organs. Imatinib mesylate can be used as perioperative therapy and may reduce tumor size, and it is now approved for use in the adjuvant therapy of locally resected anorectal GISTs. The p...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the response of Imatinib mesylate in patients with myeloid leukemia in chronic accelerated and blast phase. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eleven patients with established diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia were treated with Imatinib mesylate. Adverse events were documented with regular follow ups. Hematological and cytogenetic responses were assessed according to established c...