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Review
. 2016 Jun 22:5:F1000 Faculty Rev-1466.
doi: 10.12688/f1000research.8053.1. eCollection 2016.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: an update on the current understanding

James Addington  1 , Miriam Freimer  1
Affiliations
Review

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: an update on the current understanding

James Addington et al. F1000Res. .

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of selected chemotherapeutic agents. Previous work has suggested that patients often under report the symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and physicians fail to recognize the presence of such symptoms in a timely fashion. The precise pathophysiology that underlies chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, in both the acute and the chronic phase, remains complex and appears to be medication specific. Recent work has begun to demonstrate and further clarify potential pathophysiological processes that predispose and, ultimately, lead to the development of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. There is increasing evidence that the pathway to neuropathy varies with each agent. With a clearer understanding of how these agents affect the peripheral nervous system, more targeted treatments can be developed in order to optimize treatment and prevent long-term side effects.

Keywords: CIPN; Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy; Platinum agents; Taxanes; Vinca alkaloids; peripheral neuropathy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

No competing interests were disclosed.

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