Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy among Cancer Patients at a Tertiary Care Centre

Abstract

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a commonly encountered side effect seen in most of the cancer patients treated with neurotoxic anti-neoplastic agents which affect the patient’s quality of life leading to dose reduction or discontinuation of treatment, affecting the overall patient’s prognosis. Early identification of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy helps limit the severity of chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy among cancer patients attending a tertiary care center.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Clinical Oncology among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy from 01 May 2022 to April 2023 after ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board. Self reported symptoms pertaining to chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy were analysed, predisposing comorbidities were excluded, clinical diagnosis of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy was made and their different characteristics were studied. Convenience sampling method was used. The data collected was analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 21.0. Point estimate and 90% confidence interval were calculated.

Results: Out of 76 cancer patients on chemotherapy, 35 (46.05%) (36.65-55.46, 90% Confidence Interval) were found to experience chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy. Male and female were observed to have been affected in a ratio 3:2. Most common presenting symptoms were numbness (100%) and paresthesia (91.4%). Majority 31 (88.6%) had grade 1 chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy.

Conclusions: The prevalence of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy in our study was observed to be similar to other studies in comparable settings. Majority of symptoms were mild to moderate in intensity, and few were associated with pain.