Congestive heart failure is a rare event in patients receiving imatinib therapy. Blood 2007 Aug 15;110(4):1233-7
Date
04/24/2007Pubmed ID
17449798DOI
10.1182/blood-2007-01-070144Scopus ID
2-s2.0-34548030470 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 215 CitationsAbstract
A recent preclinical study suggested that imatinib may be cardiotoxic in some patients. We reviewed all reported serious adverse events of cardiac adverse events occurring in patients on clinical trials involving imatinib. Among 1276 patients enrolled, 22 (1.7%) were identified as having symptoms that could be attributed to systolic heart failure. The median age was 70 years (range, 49 to 83 years). The median time from start of imatinib therapy was 162 days (range, 2-2045 days). At the time these events were reported, 8 (0.6%) were considered possibly or probably related to imatinib. A total of 18 patients had previous medical conditions predisposing to cardiac failure: congestive heart failure (CHF; 6 [27%] patients), diabetes mellitus (6 [27%] patients), hypertension (10 [45%] patients), coronary artery disease (CAD; 8 [36%] patients), arrhythmia (3 [14%] patients), and cardiomyopathy (1 [5%] patient). Of the 22 patients, 11 continued imatinib therapy with dose adjustments and management for the CHF symptoms without further complications. Imatinib therapy as a causal factor of CHF is uncommon, mainly seen in elderly patients with preexisting cardiac conditions. Patients with previous cardiac history should be monitored closely and treated aggressively with standard medical therapy, including diuretics, if they develop symptoms suggestive of heart failure.
Author List
Atallah E, Durand JB, Kantarjian H, Cortes JAuthor
Ehab L. Atallah MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Antineoplastic Agents
Benzamides
Female
Heart Failure
Hematologic Neoplasms
Humans
Imatinib Mesylate
Incidence
Male
Middle Aged
Piperazines
Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
Pyrimidines
Survival Rate
