Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Avenues

Overview

Journal Neurotherapeutics

Specialty Neurology

Date 2021 Oct 22

PMID 34676514

Citations 29

Authors

Esther H Bae

Mark K Greenwald

Ann G Schwartz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a serious and often persistent adverse consequence of certain chemotherapeutic agents. It is a major dose-limiting factor of many first-line chemotherapies, affecting 20-50% of patients at standard doses and nearly all patients at high doses. As cancer survivorship continues to increase with improvements in early diagnosis and treatment, more patients will experience CIPN despite completing cancer treatment, which interferes with recovery, leading to chronic pain and worsening quality of life. The National Cancer Institute has identified CIPN as a priority in translational research. To date, there are no FDA-approved drugs for preventing or treating CIPN, with emerging debate on mechanisms and promising new targets. This review highlights current literature and suggests novel approaches to CIPN based on proposed mechanisms of action that aim either to confer neuroprotection against chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity or reverse the downstream effects of painful neuropathy.

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