Acute Renal Failure Secondary to Imatinib Mesylate Treatment in Prostate Cancer

To report a case of acute renal failure associated with the administration of imatinib mesylate.

A 64-year-old man diagnosed with prostate cancer was enrolled in a Phase I trial of imatinib mesylate plus taxotere on a protocol that required a run-in period of imatinib mesylate alone. During therapy with imatinib mesylate, the patient developed acute renal failure, requiring hemodialysis. A renal biopsy revealed tubular vacuolization. Renal failure resolved with cessation of imatinib mesylate.

Imatinib mesylate is a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, the receptor tyrosine kinases for platelet-derived growth factor, and stem cell factor c-kit. Prostate cancer has been identified as a target for therapy with imatinib mesylate. This patient had no other confounding factors for the cause of the renal failure. An objective causality assessment determined that imatinib mesylate was the probable cause of the acute renal failure. The presence of a primary glomerular disease was excluded by biopsy.

Imatinib mesylate–induced acute renal failure has now been linked to toxic effects on renal tubular cells in 3 cases. Renal function should be closely monitored during imatinib mesylate therapy.