Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in a Patient with Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Case Report

Abstract

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder diagnosed by demonstrating the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) or the BCR-ABL fusion gene. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the standard of therapy. There are increasing reports of hepatitis B virus reactivation (HBVr) in patients on this treatment. We report a case of a 46-year-old male patient diagnosed to have CML in the chronic phase and resolved hepatitis B infection. He was treated with imatinib as upfront therapy for CML and with lamivudine as prophylaxis against HBVr. The patient tolerated both treatments well with no adverse effects. The aim is to address the deficiencies in the literature in regard to managing these patients, prevention, and follow-up.