CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY (CIPN) IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY:
PREVALENCE AND IMPACT ON POST-TREATMENT QUALITY OF LIFE
Abstract
Background: While survival has considerably improved in
paediatric oncology, the neurotoxicity of treatments compromise
functional prognosis. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)
is an under-rated adverse effect in clinical practice. CIPN is even more
difficult to assess in paediatrics. Objectives was to describe the
prevalence of CIPN at the end of oncological treatment in children, and
to observe the impact on quality of life (QoL). Procedure: A
retrospective, observational, monocentric analysis at end-of-treatment
oncology assessment was performed in a paediatric haematology-oncology
department. We reported the prevalence of CIPN, neuropathic pain, global
health assessment and QoL in patients with haematologic malignancies or
cancer before the age of 15, exposed to neurotoxic chemotherapies, over
the period July 2021 to July 2022. Results: We included 23
patients. 30.4% had symptoms of CIPN at the end of oncological
treatment. Of these, 54.1% had neuropathic pain; overall, QoL was
compromised (PedsQL median: 60% versus 77% for those without CIPN),
with preferential impairment in the ”physical health”, ”emotional
functioning” and ”school functioning” spheres. Conclusions:
During oncology course, CIPN is a common adverse effect in the
paediatric population. It may persist at the end of treatment, and it is
a cause of chronic pain. Therefore, CIPN has a significant negative
effect on patients’ QoL.