Dasatinib-associated chylothorax in a pediatric patient with chronic myeloid leukemia: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Dasatinib is an effective 2(nd) generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of newly diagnosed or intolerant to imatinib chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and in Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The most common adverse effects of dasatinib include gastrointestinal upset, pancytopenia, skin rash, diarrhea and fluid retention. Pleural effusion (PE), which occurs in almost 15–35% of patients, is the most frequent manifestation of fluid retention. However, Dasatinib-induced chylothorax is extremely rare. There are solely 13 cases of dasatinib-related chylothorax in adults in the literature, while only one pediatric patient has been reported. The preferred treatment options are usually with systemic steroids, diuretics, and dasatinib discontinuation. We report the second pediatric case and propose the hypothesis of its mechanism and summarize the relevant cases to facilitate the understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical manifestation, management and prognosis of dasatinib-induced chylothorax. CASE DESCRIPTION: An 11-year-old boy diagnosed with breakpoint cluster region-Abelson (BCR-ABL) fusion was treated with dasatinib. After 38 months, the patient was admitted for dyspnea characterized by decreased breath sounds on both lungs during physical examination. Computed tomography (CT) showed bilateral PE with local insufficiency of both lungs. Drug-induced chylothorax was presumed based on clinical manifestations, excluding other possible causes. Dasatinib was withdrawn, diuretics as well as steroids were given for supportive therapy and octreotide was administered to decrease fat absorption in the intestine. However, the chylous fluid did not decrease significantly. The patient was then being fasted. Unexpectedly, after fasted for two days, the chylous fluid became clear and the drainage volume was decreased. The patient was advised to use nilotinib. We followed up the patient for 8 months, and there was no recurrence of chylothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Our patient had a shorter treatment course for chylothorax than those in the literature. In addition to dasatinib withdrawal, fasting treatment was also utmost critical. We summarize the literature of known existing cases to improve the understanding of the side effects and management of dasatinib in the treatment of CML.