Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: the end of the beginning?

From the clinician's perspective, the study signifies an important step in enabling effective treatment strategies Rapid advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease over the last two decades. Over that period, major developments have also occurred in other fields of medicine, most notably in the management of cancer. Two-thirds of all cancer patients now survive at 5-years post-diagnosis, with over 28 million cancer survivors worldwide.1 As cancer outcomes improve, there has been increased focus on the long-term quality of life in cancer survivors. Not unexpectedly, neurological complications are a prevalent and potentially disabling long-term side effect of cancer treatment. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), in particular, is the dose-limiting toxicity of many chemotherapeutic agents, most notably platinum analogues and taxane drugs.2 Velasco and colleagues,3 present a prospective multicentre study of neuropathy outcomes in patients receiving oxaliplatin, a first-line...

Source: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry - March 5, 2014 Category: Neurosurgery Authors: Krishnan, A. V., Park, S. B. Tags: Neuromuscular disease, Peripheral nerve disease, Stroke Editorial commentaries Source Type: research