title: Improvement of platelet dysfunction in chronic myelogenous leukemia following treatment with imatinib: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, tyrosine kinase inhibitors suppress the BCR-ABL+ clone and often induce complete molecular remissions. Megakaryocytes in such patients have been shown to be derived from the BCR-ABL+ clone, and abnormal platelet function is frequent in chronic myeloid leukemia. However, little is known about the influence of modern targeted therapy on chronic myeloid leukemia-associated platelet disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a massive hemorrhage in a 32-year-old Caucasian man caused by chronic myeloid leukemia-associated platelet dysfunction, which improved after treatment with imatinib.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report demonstrates that platelet dysfunction and bleeding disorder in BCR-ABL+ chronic myeloid leukemia can successfully be treated with imatinib. We suggest the monitoring of platelet function in future studies using imatinib to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.
authors.affiliation: Department I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, D-50924 Köln, Germany. michael.bergwelt@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimabukuro-Vornhagen
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rothe
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nogova
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kochanek
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheid
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Bergwelt-Baildon