Investigation of the frequency of bortezomib neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma diagnosis with normal and abnormal genetic characteristics.

Introduction: Bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma is an undesirable and sometimes severe side effect. Our study aimed to examine whether there was a difference in bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy between multiple myeloma patients with normal and abnormal genetic characteristics.

Methods: This retrospective analysis is based on the assessment of bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy frequency in newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with normal ( = 68) and abnormal ( = 45) genetic profiles. A total of 113 patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma according to the International Myeloma Working Group criteria, between 2016 and 2021, were included in this study.

Results: Neuropathy was detected in 42 (37.1%) patients. The most common genetic anomalies were 13q del (in 28.9%), (4.14) (in 22.2%), and trisomy 7 (in 20.0%). When patients with and without bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy were compared, the only significant differences were observed for age ( = 0.032) and genetic grouping ( = 0.001); whereas other characteristics that could be associated with bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy were similarly distributed in both groups. Bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy was significantly more frequent in multiple myeloma patients with normal genetic characteristics ( = 0.001).

Conclusion: As a result of our study, it was observed that the frequency of bortezomib neuropathy was significantly higher in patients with normal genetic features compared to those with abnormal genetic features. This result suggested that factors other than genetic factors should be investigated to clarify the etiology of bortezomib-associated neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma.