Recurrent bone marrow aplasia secondary to nilotinib in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia: a case report

Nilotinib is a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor of breakpoint cluster region-abelson (BCR-ABL), which has been approved as front-line therapy for newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase and as second-line therapy after imatinib failure in chronic or accelerated phase chronic myeloid leukemia. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been associated with myelosuppression and grade 3 or grade 4 cytopenias are not uncommon in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with these drugs. There are a few reports of imatinib-associated bone marrow aplasia, but to our knowledge only one reported case of bone marrow aplasia associated with nilotinib. Herein, we report a 49-year-old male patient with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia, who developed severe bone marrow aplasia due to nilotinib. Possible mechanisms for this significant adverse drug reaction are discussed along with a review of literature.