Abstract: Imatinib mesylate is a new kind of oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor and has become a first-line treatment of chronic myelocytic leukemia. The main adverse reactions of imatinib mesylate are haematological and nonhaemato logical. The haematological adverse reactions include bone marrow suppression ( the decrease of white blood cells, hemoglobin and platelet). The nonhaematological adverse reactions include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, edema(mainly periorbital edema), myalgia and muscle cramps. The main adverse reactions and precautions of imatinib mesylate in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia were reviewed in this paper.

Key words: imatinib mesylate, chronic myelocytic leukemia, adverse reaction, precaution