Infectious Complications of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Hematological Malignancies

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors represent the standard of care for several diseases and drug targets in hematologic malignancies. Infectious complications vary by disease status and prior therapy, but overall incidence of infections generally is low. In chronic diseases, such as chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, patients can remain on tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy for many years, with few infectious complications from therapy. Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors overall are well tolerated in lymphoproliferative disorders, with long-term follow-up of many years in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Although opportunistic infections have been reported, they are uncommon and routine prophylaxis is not recommended.