CHEMOTHERAPY INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY: METHODS TO MEASURE

Peripheral neuropathy is a structural or functional abnormality of peripheral nerves giving rise to neuropathic symptoms. Neuropathic symptoms can be motor, sensory and autonomic or varied combination of these major categories. Chemotherapeutic agents frequently cause various neuropathic symptoms and signs depending upon culprit agent, its dose and duration. Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity is a common, disabling and dose-limiting side-effect of cancer treatment and its assessment is difficult. Some patients complain of tingling, numbness and pain in distal extremities while others may also develop motor and autonomic symptoms. Some patients remain symptomatic even after discontinuation of offending drugs. Patients with chemotherapy induced neuropathy bear higher healthcare cost than cancer patients without neuropathy. As new chemotherapeutic agents are being developed it is important to measure chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy accurately so that it can be recognized at an earlier stage, the treatment can be modified appropriately and disease progression can be monitored. An added advantage would be a possibility of reliable comparison between neuropathic side effect of newer and older chemotherapeutic agents.