Generalized hypopigmentation due to imatinib: a fairness boon?

Over 120 patients of CML or GIST are being treated with imatinib at our institute since 2001. For the last one year, during routine outdoor visits, many patients have been reporting that their skin was becoming fairer while on imatinib. We interviewed 26 patients regarding this side effect; 22 of the patients and their relatives confirmed this experience at varying durations of treatment (median 2 months; range 2 to 8 months). Three patients in whom the drug had to be discontinued because of different reasons reported that their skin complexion had reverted to the original one.