An Unusual Cause of Bleeding in a Patient with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Chronic Phase

Abstract

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by dysregulated and uncontrolled proliferation of mature and maturing granulocytes with normal differentiation. A genetic hallmark of CML is the presence of the fusion gene product BCR-ABL. Bleeding diathesis in CML patients is rare (<10%) and primarily caused by acquired platelet dysfunction. We report a rare case of an adult CML chronic phase patient who presented with spontaneous muscle hematoma due to acquired Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT). On laboratory workup, a GT was confirmed along with the diagnosis of CML in chronic phase. The muscle hematoma was completely resolved following imatinib therapy. The present case demonstrates that bleeding is a complication of MPNs and highlights the importance of both acquired GT diagnosis to determine the cause of bleeding in CML and of prompt treatment with imatinib to reverse this condition.