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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer 2021; 10(02): 58-63
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731100
Original Article: Breast Cancer

A Prospective Study of Taxane-Induced Neuropathy with Breast Cancer: Proper Assessment Tool for Taxane-Induced Neuropathy

Eun Hee Sohn
1   Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Korea
,
Jin Sun Lee
2   Department of Surgery and Research Institute for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Korea
,
Mi Sook Jung
3   College of Nursing, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
,
Je Ryong Kim
2   Department of Surgery and Research Institute for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Korea
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Abstract

Background Many chemotherapeutic agents, especially taxanes, can induce peripheral neuropathy.

Aim To evaluate the clinical characteristics of taxane-induced neuropathy (TIN) and determine the proper assessment tool for TIN in patients with breast cancer.

Setting and Design Single-center, observational, prospective study.

Methods and Material Forty-three patients with breast cancer treated with taxanes were prospectively enrolled. The reduced version of the Total Neuropathy Score (TNSr) was performed at baseline and 3 months after enrollment. TIN was diagnosed if the difference between the baseline and 3-month TNSr was greater than 1. In patients with TIN, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire— Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (20-item scale (EORTC-CIPN20) was also assessed 3 months after enrollment.

Results Thirty-seven out of 43 (86.0%) patients were diagnosed with TIN. Sensory symptoms (64.9%) were the most frequent abnormality, followed by autonomic symptoms (54.1%). No patients reported motor symptoms or motor weakness. The TNSr sensory symptom score positively correlated with that of the EORTC-CIPN20. Nerve conduction studies showed reduced nerve conduction velocities and amplitudes after taxane treatment compared to those before chemotherapy in all tested nerves; however, only three (8.1%) patients had sural sensory nerve action potential amplitude outside normal limits.

Conclusions TIN was predominantly sensory with normal nerve conduction studies which is the main feature of small fiber neuropathy. A combination scale comprising of a clinician-based scale and a patient-reported questionnaire and specialized tests for small nerve fibers should be considered as proper assessment tools to evaluate TIN.

Keywords

breast neoplasms - taxane - peripheral nervous system diseases - small fiber neuropathy


Publication History

Article published online:
04 September 2021

© 2021. MedIntel Services Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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