Concomitant Medications and Risk of Chemotherapy‐Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Conclusion.Baseline characteristics of the patients, including age and concomitant medications, could be used to identify individuals at high risk of neuropathy, personalizing chemotherapy treatment and reducing the risk of severe neuropathy.Implications for Practice.Peripheral neuropathy is a common adverse effect of many cancer drugs, including chemotherapeutics, targeted therapies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. About 40% of survivors of cancer have functional deficits caused by this toxicity, some of them irreversible. Currently, there are no effective treatments to prevent or treat this neuropathy. This study, performed in a large cohort of well‐characterized patients homogenously treated with paclitaxel, identified concomitant medications, comorbidities, and demographic factors associated with peripheral neuropathy. These factors could serve to identify patients at high risk of severe neuropathy for whom alternative non‐neurotoxic alternatives may be considered.
Source: The Oncologist - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Symptom Management and Supportive Care Source Type: research