TKIs Linked to RVO Development

TKIs are a class of drugs that target cancer-cell-inducing enzymes, with several side effects that affect the liver, eyes. and other organs. Photo: NIH. Click image to enlarge. The class of cancer meds known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) may contribute to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) development, says a Canadian study. Observing participants who were prescribed TKIs and then later diagnosed with RVO between the years of 2014 and 2024, researchers sought to determine the relationship between the two.A survey of 49 patients undergoing TKI therapy revealed that 11 patients (12 eyes in all) experienced RVO over the course of their treatment, with presentation beginning, on average, 2.8 years after the TKI therapy began. The mean age of patients at the time of RVO presentation was 75.9, and eight of the 11 affected patients were male. Patients experienced central retinal vein occlusion in eight eyes and branch-retinal vein occlusions in four eyes.Prescribed TKIs “included imatinib (n=3), axitinib (n=5), ibrutinib (n=2), and regorafenib (n=1),” the researchers wrote in a paper for Eye, with patients understood to be taking the medication for about two years at the time of research. Participants were excluded from the study if they did not take the medication, if they weren’t diagnosed with RVO throughout the treatment period, and if they “did not have temporal correction between start of TKI and RVO.”The researchers’ primary limitation was that they “were unable to determine how many patients filled or took the medication” that had been prescribed to them. While they initially identified a total of 11,538 patients prescribed a TKI before applying their exclusion criteria, “the actual number of patients who initiated a TKI is likely much lower.” Also, among the patient cohort were a number of other conditions that could contribute to RVO formation, including hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia, all of which are “independently associated with RVO.” the researchers wrote. The presence of these diseases may serve as yet another limitation due to the inability to verify whether the patients’ RVO was related to their medication or to other factors.While the study notes that TKIs “have revolutionized the field of oncology,” standards of care should take into consideration what impact they have on the rest of the body, as patients receiving cancer treatment may come out of it with additional health problems they did not anticipate. Click here for the journal source. Mohan N, Srivastava S, Duphare C, et al. Risk of retinal vein occlusions in patients taking systemic tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Eye (2026). [Epub ahead of print.] This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.