Onco

logy

Tim

es •

8/2

5/15

12

Scientific Meeting, Melissa Mazor, RN, MS, a clinical nurse at the University of California, San Francisco, found that on the pain interference scale, patients reported that pain in their lower extremities significantly made their balance and routine activities more difficult than pain in their up-per extremities.

In addition, on the pain interference scale, pain in the legs and feet signifi-cantly interfered with patients’ enjoy-ment of life, in their ability to walk, in general activities, in their mood, and in their relationships.

The study also determined numerical differences that trended toward more dif-ficulty with pain in the lower extremities in normal work, in sleep, and in sexual activity.

“Further research needs to evalu-ate both subjective and objective characteristics of chemotherapy-in-duced neuropathy that can be used to guide the development of future intervention studies,” the researchers concluded.

To perform the study, they enrolled 184 patients from the San Francisco Bay

“Cancer chemotherapy-

induced peripheral neuropathy is the most prevalent

neurologic complication of

cancer treatment.”

Chr

istm

an: F

oot

and

Ank

le R

adio

log

y,

2014

, LW

W

T1-weighted fat-saturated postgadolinium coronal MRI at the level of the metatarsal diaphyses in a patient with extensive intrinsic muscle wasting due to peripheral neuropathy.

Chemo-Induced Neuropathy Worse in Feet than HandsBY ED SUSMAN

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.—Cancer patients who have c h e m o t h e r a p y - i n d u c e d neuropathy often say that

the pain in their feet hurts more

than neuropathy in their hands, and now those observations have been documented.

In a poster study reported here at the American Pain Society Annual

American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting

13O

nco

logy Tim

es • Aug

ust 25, 2015 • oncology-tim

es.com

area who had completed treatment with a taxane and/or platinum-based chemotherapy regimen and reported persistent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in their hands and feet.

Persistent pain was defined as pain that had continued for at least three months.

The researchers administered standard questionnaires such as the brief pain inventory, the pain quality assessment scale, and the pain inter-ference scale. “Cancer chemother-apy-induced peripheral neuropathy is the most prevalent neurologic complication of cancer treatment,” the researchers noted. “Because no

effective preventative or treatment strategies are available for chemo-therapy-induced neuropathy it can cause treatment delay, cessation of chemotherapy, painful neurologic symptoms, decreased functional sta-tus, and poorer quality of life.”

More DebilitatingAsked for her perspective for this article, Stephanie Bernik, MD, Chief of Surgical Oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that patients often find neuropathy in the feet to be more debilitating than in the hands because it affects the ability to be independent. Pain potentially is also felt with every step and can take away one’s mobility.

“Of course, neuropathy in the hands is also debilitating, espe-

cially in those who use their hands for work or recreation, but in that situation, patients are often able to take a leave from work, lessening the impact of the problem,” she said. “Although both forms of neuropa-thy are difficult to deal with, it ap-pears that neuropathy in the feet has more of an impact both at work and at home.”

The mean age of the patients in the study was about 61, and their mean education level was 16.45 years. About 86 percent of the pa-tients were women. About 75 per-cent of the cohort in the study identified themselves as Caucasian, about 41 percent of the group was employed. About 34 percent were smokers, and about 62 percent had a history of smoking. O

T

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHYContinued from page 12

Most Popular Articles on

Oncology-Times.com• “Hundreds of Practices Express Interest in CMS’s Pay Plan for Oncology,” by Lola Butcher,

7/10/15 issue

• “Warning that Patients Having Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants Have More Fractures,” by Heather Lindsey, 5/10/15 issue

• “Hodgkin Survivors at Higher Risk of Cardiac Problems Even 40 Years Later,” by Meeri Kim, PhD, 7/10/15 issue

• “Key Hematologic Malignancy Takeaways from ASCO 2015,” by Ravi Vij, MD, PhD, 7/25//15 issue

• “Key Breast Cancer Takeaways from ASCO 2015,” by Cynthia X. Ma, PhD

• “Refractory Myeloma: A Monoclonal Antibody for First Time Has Single-Agent Activity,” by Mark L. Fuerst, 7/10/15 issue

• “MUSINGS OF A CANCER DOCTOR: Could You Be any Cuter? Genome Editing and the Future of the Human Species,” by George W. Sledge, Jr., MD, 6/25/15 issue

• “View from the Other Side of the Stethoscope: Patient Handout—Waiting for Test Results” by Wendy S. Harpham, MD, 8/10 issue