Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation under
Treatment with Nilotinib
Tuncer Temel, Eren Gunduz, Esmira Sadigova, Hava Uskudar Teke, Safak Meric Ozgenel, Aysegul Harmanci Ozakyol
Citation Information :
Temel T, Gunduz E, Sadigova E, Uskudar Teke H, Meric Ozgenel S, Harmanci Ozakyol A. Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation under Treatment with Nilotinib. Euroasian J Hepatogastroenterol 2015; 5 (2):112-114.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation with imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been reported in
chronic myeloid leukemia. Nilotinib is a more potent second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor and
it inhibits the Src-family kinase LCK and hamper proliferation and function of CD8 (+) T lymphocytes.
CD8 (+) T lymphocytes are the main cellular subset responsible for viral clearance in patients with HBV
infection. We report a case of HBV reactivation under treatment with nilotinib. Fatal HBV reactivation is
not usually related to death in chronic myeloid leukemia patients who have an expectation of longevity
with well-tolerated oral drugs. Thus, screening for latent chronic HBV infections including assessment
of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc antibody) and
antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), especially at countries with intermediate and high
prevalence of HBsAg is warranted. Treatment with nucleoside analogs and close monitoring may be
life-saving in this context.
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