Oral mucosal hyperpigmentation and horizontal melanonychia caused by imatinib

Imatinib‐induced diffuse hyperpigmentation of the oral mucosa, the skin, and the nails in a patient affected by chronic myeloid leukemia: report of a case and review of the literature

“…The occurrence of pigmentary changes is generally reported to be much higher in ethnically pigmented patients . However, it is very interesting that among the cases of hyperpigmentation reported in the literature, 16 (53.3%) had white skin . Therefore, we hypothesized that imatinib‐induced hyperpigmentation is not correlated with ethnicity.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, 30 cases of well‐documented imatinib‐related hyperpigmentation were described in literature and included in our review (Table ) . Cases characterized by pigmentary changes localized only in body areas previously affected by rash and/or pruritus were excluded due to the possibility of a post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation.…”

“…Histopathological examination was made in only 14 patients. All of the 10 mucosal biopsies were performed in the hard palate, and the histological findings revealed deposits of melanin and/or hemosiderin in the lamina propria, without signs of inflammation or hemorrhage . Instead, histopathological examination of the skin biopsies showed increased basal layer pigmentation in three patients, while an increased melanocyte density in the epidermis was revealed in one patient .…”

Intraoral hyperpigmentation due to imatinib mesylate. A review of the literature

“…Within the 18 cases, pigmentation was reported in 10 female patients and 8 male patients. The age of patients ranged from 13 to 70 years, with a mean age of 53.72 years.…”

Pigmentations of the Nails

“…Many general disorders may increase skin and nail pigmentation, such as Nelson's syndrome, adrenal insufficiency [15], pituitary adenoma [16], vitamin B 12 deficiency, very many drugs like zidovudine, antimalarials, chlorpromazine, tinzarapin [17], a variety of internal tumors and cytostatic treatments (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicine, docetaxel) [18,19] the latter sometimes causing short-lasting melanocyte activation with transverse dark bands in the nails ( Figure 23).…”