Effects of imatinib on thyroid function in adult patients with chronic myeloid leukemia
Introduction/Background/Significance: Chronic myeloid leukemia is characterized by the presence of the BCR-ABL1 oncoprotein, against which the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib was developed. This very safe drug can cause adverse effects, including alterations in thyroid gland function.
Materials and Methods/Case Presentation/Objective: General objective: To identify the effects of imatinib on thyroid function in adult patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.
Method: A descriptive cross-sectional cohort study was conducted in 27 adult patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia who received two years of imatinib treatment at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology, Havana city in Cuba. The Mann-Whitney U test was used with a significance level of α = 0.05, a confidence interval, and Pearson's χ test.
Results/Description/Main Outcome Measures: Twenty-seven patients were studied. The mean age was 55.4 ± 19 years and the median was 57 years. There were no significant differences between the sexes. The most common clinical manifestation found with suspected thyroid function abnormalities was myxedema; 40.7% of patients did not present any manifestations. Eight patients presented with altered thyrotropin levels (22.2%) and elevated thyroxine levels (7.4%) of the cases studied. Thyroid function abnormalities occurred in 29.6% of the patients, with subclinical hypothyroidism being the most common. No significant differences were found in the relationship between imatinib doses and the development of thyroid function abnormalities.
Conclusions: Imatinib can cause both subclinical and overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
