Hypolipemiant besides antileukemic effect of imatinib mesylate.

The use of imatinib mesylate (IM) (Gleevec, Novartis) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and other neoplastic disorders is in a dramatic increase, inducing long-standing survival. Therefore, the interest in the associated events with this treatment is more and more manifest. We describe a case of CML in which, at the usual antileukemic dose, IM induced a rapid and persistent normalization of the levels of serum cholesterol, triglycerides, low- and high-density lipoproteins and glucose. In the present case report we confirm other observations on the hypolipemiant and antidiabetic effects, concomitant with that antileukemic, of IM.