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Intramuscular edema as a complication of treatment with imatinib

Leukemia volume 17, pages 804–805 (2003)Cite this article

TO THE EDITOR

Imatinib is a selective inhibitor of ABL, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor and c-kit,1 and yields a significant antileukemic effect in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). However, most patients receiving imatinib develop mild-to-moderate side effects, including nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, myelosuppression, edema, and less commonly, fluid retention.2,3 In this study, we present a patient with severe muscle pain and swelling of both thighs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that the muscle swelling was caused by intramuscular fluid retention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Second Department of Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    C Shimazaki, N Ochiai, R Uchida, S-I Fuchida, A Okano, E Ashihara, T Inaba, N Fujita & M Nakagawa

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  1. C Shimazaki
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  2. N Ochiai
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  3. R Uchida
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  4. S-I Fuchida
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  5. A Okano
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  6. E Ashihara
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  7. T Inaba
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  8. N Fujita
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  9. M Nakagawa
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Correspondence to C Shimazaki.

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Shimazaki, C., Ochiai, N., Uchida, R. et al. Intramuscular edema as a complication of treatment with imatinib. Leukemia 17, 804–805 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402868

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402868

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