Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common complication of chemotherapy (CT) (19% to 85% of cases, depending on the type of CT). This complication can further affect patients' quality of life (QOL). The aim of our work was to assess the quality of life (QOL) of patients according to the occurrence or not of an CIPN during anti-cancer treatment.
This is a prospective study performed on patients with known neurotoxic CT (Oxaliplatin, Cisplatin, Taxanes, Vinorelbine and Vincristine). The survey was carried out over a period of one month (September 2019) on patients treated at the department of medical oncology in Sfax. We used the WHO classification as well as the DN4 score to diagnose and characterize CIPN. We used the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire to assess the QOL according to the presence or not of an CIPN. We analyzed 5 areas of QOL in our patients physical functioning, daily functioning, social functioning, pain, insomnia and overall health.
Seventy-three patients were included in the study with 46 women (63%) and 27 men (37%). The average age was 51.8 years [13-80 years]. The cancers mainly reported in our series were: colorectal cancers (26%), breast cancers (24.6%), nasopharyngeal cancers (15%), ovarian carcinomas (11%) and eso-gastric cancers (6.8 %). The disease was metastatic in 43 cases (58.9%). The most widely used CT drugs were Taxanes (28 cases: 38.35%) and Oxaliplatin (22 cases: 30.14%). Thirty-eight patients had CIPN (52.1%). The CIPN was classified according to the WHO classification as grades 1 and 2 in 63.2% and 36.8% of the cases, respectively. The DN4 Score was ≥ 4 in 31 cases. We found a statistically significant change in patients' QOL in the areas of physical functioning (p <0.0001), daily functioning (p = 0.007), social functioning (p = 0.021), pain (p = 0.024) and overall health (p = 0.013) in case of CIPN.
In our study, the prevalence of CIPN was 51.1%. This CIPN significantly impacted the QOL in the areas of physical functioning, daily functioning, social functioning, pain and overall health. This is consistent with data from the literature.
Local Committee of Habib Bourguiba.
Has not received any funding.
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.