To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Bilateral Paraesthesia Common With Paclitaxel Treatment for Early Breast Cancer: Presented at WCP URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/229AA6.htm Doctor's Guide August 25, 2008
By Sara Freeman GLASGOW, United Kingdom -- August 25, 2008 -- Many women treated with paclitaxel for nonmetastatic breast cancer experience painful peripheral neuropathy, although often mild in intensity, according to research presented at the 12th World Congress on Pain (WCP). The initial findings, from an ongoing, prospective, and commercially independent study, suggest that more needs to be done to recognise the problem of peripheral neuropathy in women undergoing neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with paclitaxel. "The reason we did this study is because there are many clinical trials testing the efficacy of paclitaxel for breast cancer, but there was no systematic assessment for neurotoxicity like peripheral neuropathy in these trials," said study investigator Judith Paice, Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois, in an interview on August 22. The prospective study evaluated women with newly diagnosed, early-stage breast cancer who had a high potential for a cure from the start of paclitaxel therapy, Dr. Paice said. Seventeen women with an average age of 50 years have been enrolled in the trial so far, with a further 33 women to be recruited. Study treatment consists of 4 cycles of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel, a standard chemotherapy regimen for early breast cancer. Four quantitative sensory tests are being used. A timed 9-hole peg test and timed pellet retrieval test are used to assess motor function; Von Frey Monofilaments were used to determine sensitivity to touch and the Neuropen to assess sensitivity to pain. In addition, several questionnaires and scales are used to assess patients' levels of pain, neuropathy, and discomfort. These include the Brief Pain Inventory, the Neuropathic Pain Scale, and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status. All assessments are carried out before and during paclitaxel therapy, after 4 weeks, and at the end of 8 weeks of therapy. Results confirmed that women treated with paclitaxel are commonly affected by bilateral neuropathy, most often at the fingers and feet. Numbness and tingling were not present at the start of treatment with paclitaxel, but by 4 and 8 weeks of therapy, were being reported by 47% and 54% of women in the trial, respectively. Pain intensity scores tended to be low. Even when at their peak, pain scores remained around 3 on a numerical rating scale of 1 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = the worst pain), but women reported significant impairment and functioning. However, a subset of women experienced severe and debilitating pain and motor impairments. A few women also reported severe myalgia unrelated to the peripheral neuropathy, which Dr. Paice said did not always go away once paclitaxel therapy was stopped. She concluded that if women at risk of peripheral neuropathy could be identified, such as those with diabetes, then perhaps an alternate chemotherapy regimen could be used to treat their cancer. Funding for this study was provided by the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation. [Presentation title: Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer. Abstract PF079] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.