Rare Case Presentation of Imatinib Induced Hepatotoxicity

Abstract Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a life-saving treatment for Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and several other malignancies. Imatinib induced hyperbilirubinemia and hepatic toxicity is seldom reported among all side effects. not a widely known fact. We present a case of a 25 year old male patient who developed hyperbilirubinemia while on imatinib for treatment of CML. On further genetic testing for polymorphism, the patient is homozygous for UGT1A1*28 polymorphism. Due to persistent hyperbilirubinemia while on 400 mg, dose was reduced to 300 mg daily. The patient's hyperbilirubinemia was manageable with a minimal decrement of 25% from the initial dose of imatinib. If handled in a timely fashion by a physician, it helps to control hyperbilirubinemia while the patient receives a reduced dosage of imatinib for life long treatment of CML.