Results from a small retrospective analysis conducted in Japan indicate that injection site reactions from subcutaneous (under the skin) injections of Velcade ^[1] (bor­tezo­mib) are more likely to occur during the first cycle of treatment than in later cycles.

A third of patients in the study developed injection site re­ac­tions – such as swell­ing, redness, or itchi­ness – during the first cycle of treatment.  However, the share of patients experiencing such reactions dropped to one fifth during later cycles.

In the Japanese study, investigators retrospectively analyzed data from 20 multiple myeloma patients with a median age of 72 years who were newly diagnosed (60 percent) or had relapsed/refractory disease (40 percent).

Overall, 65 percent of patients developed injection site reactions at some point during their subcutaneous Velcade treatment.

The Japanese researchers found that the rate of injection site reactions was significantly higher during the first treatment cycle compared to subsequent cycles (34 percent versus 20 percent, respectively).

The rate of moderate or severe injection site reactions was also significantly higher during the first cycle compared to subsequent cycles (16 percent versus 1 percent, respectively).

Injections in the abdomen caused fewer moderate or severe injection site reactions (2 percent), compared to injections in the thigh (11 percent).

According to the researchers, the higher rates seen with injections to the thigh may be due to the fact that the thigh contains less fat tissue than the abdomen.

The researchers note that stage of disease and patient weight had no impact on the rate or severity of the injection site reactions.

Based on their findings, they recommend better management of injection site reactions, particularly among patients who receive injections in their thigh during their first treatment cycle.

They add that treatment with corticosteroids may prevent, or provide relief from, injection site reactions.

For more information, please refer to the study in the International Journal of Hematology ^[2] (abstract).