title: Imatinib-induced Gastrointestinal Vascular Ectasia in a Patient with Advanced GIST: Case Report and Literature Review.
abstract: Imatinib is generally well tolerated in the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Gastrointestinal vascular ectasia (GIVE) and gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), while rare, are significant under-reported complications of imatinib therapy.
  
  
  
  We present one patient with GIVE complicating imatinib therapy with a literature review of this rare side-effect.
  
  
  
  A 68-year-old woman was diagnosed with advanced GIST, wild-type CKIT. After 3 months of treatment with imatinib, she had partial response. However, she was diagnosed with GAVE and, later, also with GIVE. During her 3-year imatinib treatment, she suffered from severe anemia and required blood transfusions. Conservative treatments were not helpful and the ectatic lesions resolved only with cessation of imatinib.
  
  
  
  This confirms a causal relationship between GIVE and imatinib. GIVE and GAVE should be considered possible causes of anemia and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients receiving imatinib therapy.
authors: Division of Oncology, Rambam-Health Care Campus and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors: Mahmoud
authors: M
authors: Abu-Amna
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Rambam-Health Care Campus and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors: Halim
authors: H
authors: Awadie
authors: Division of Oncology, Rambam-Health Care Campus and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel g_barsela@rambam.health.gov.il.
authors: Gil
authors: G
authors: Bar-Sela
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D020252:Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate / Q000009:adverse effects*; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate
keywords: Gastric antral vascular ectasia; gastrointestinal hemorrhage; gastrointestinal stromal tumors; gastrointestinal vascular ectasia; imatinib