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Surgery whilst on Imatinib

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Good evening everyone,

It’s my first time posting on here and I’m struggling for advice elsewhere.

I was diagnosed with CML last June. I started on Imatinib 2 weeks later and my bloods have been steady - at 6 months my BCR ABL was at 0.37 however I’ve not got my latest results yet. WBC is 3.8 (I think this is low)?

The reason for my post is that I am wanting to undergo elective surgery. I have spoken with a very knowledgable surgeon who is quite familiar with CML. The issue I have is that he believes I should stop taking my Imatinib for a month. I have spoken with my haematologist today and he stated he is happy for me to have surgery but there is no need to stop my Imatinib at all, he doesn’t see any chance of an increased risk of infection etc.

Has anyone else had surgery whilst continuing on their usual dose of Imatinib? I am 40 years old.

Thank you in advance.

I had oral surgery a few years ago and it was advised that I stopped taking the medication 5 days prior. I was on Imatinib at the time. To me a month sounds somewhat excessive but depending on the surgery, the duration, additional medication before, while, and after perhaps it’s prudent. Also the type of TKI plays a part. What annoyed me when I had surgery was that the surgeon did not consult with my oncologist. I asked my oncologist myself and he said 5 days was ok. Keep asking around. Maybe take at least a week off.

Good luck.

Joe

Thank you for your reply, I did think a month sounded too excessive considering that Imatinib only has an 18 hour half life. My consultant has said that as my bloods are ok he’s not concerned at all about stopping by my TKI so I’ve had to relay this back - the surgery is only 3 hours long so I won’t be under anaesthetic for too long. I think they need a discussion between them tbh but I know this will be difficult considering they are in different hospitals x

I had a fairly big surgery about 10 years ago - the kind you need to stay in the hospital for a week. I was taking dasatinib, and was advised to just keep taking it throughout. It all was fine.

David.

Thank you for replying.

Did the anaesthetist raise any concerns over it? I’m worried that’s it’s ‘elective’ surgery they may all argue against me having it because no one seems to understand the best course of action!