Venclexta and Skin

[msccsm11]

Hi there.

Five months into Venclexta and had a bad rash tat caused my doc to take me off until the rash cleared. Now I have itchy skin, but no rash per se.

Others with this issue? Thanks.

[lankisterguy Volunteer]

Hi msccsm11,-

We have often had discussions about skin issues here. Sometimes they are a reaction to one of our drugs, some are autoimmune related and others appear from CLL itself, or opportunistic infections that bypass our inadequate immune systems.

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Our archives has over 800 posts & replies that mention skin issues and CLL:

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

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The NIH has several papers suggesting that CLL itself leads to skin issues, as noted here:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/174...

SNIP: "Cutaneous lesions occur in up to 25% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These can be caused by either cutaneous seeding by leukemic cells (leukemia cutis, LC) and other malignant diseases or nonmalignant disorders. Skin infiltration with B-lymphocyte CLL manifests as solitary, grouped, or generalized papules, plaques, nodules, or large tumors.....The most common secondary cutaneous changes seen in CLL are those of infectious or hemorrhagic origin. Other secondary lesions present as vasculitis, purpura, generalized pruritus, exfoliative erythroderma, and paraneoplastic pemphigus. An exaggerated reaction to an insect bite and insect bite-like reactions have been also observed".

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I have been dealing with skin rashes since 2006- before my CLL diagnosis in 2008. Just 6 weeks ago I restarted photo therapy ( light box treatment with narrow band UVB rays in a device like a stand up tanning bed ). This is a common treatment for Psoriasis or CTCL (Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma) symptoms.

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Despite having had oily skin all my life, I get significant relief from itching by daily application of non oily moisturizers like CERAVE, or similar that contain hyaluronic acid and ceramides.

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Len

[gardenman68]

Yes. I did ok with the ramp up, but the 400mgs has caused a rash. Lower back and forearms. The doctor has taken me off it for one week, and then we'll try again.