Four in 10 Patients Receiving Chemo Develop Chronic Painful Neuropathy

TUESDAY, Feb. 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The pooled prevalence of chronic painful neuropathy is 41.22 percent among individuals with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), according to a meta-analysis published online Jan. 28 in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

Ryan S. D”Souza, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of chronic painful neuropathy among patients diagnosed with CIPN. Estimates from each study were transformed using double arcsine transformation and pooled in a meta-analysis. Data were included from 77 studies from 28 countries, encompassing 10,962 patients with CIPN.

The researchers found that the pooled prevalence of those reporting chronic painful neuropathy among those diagnosed with CIPN was estimated at 41.22 percent. Across studies, there was considerable heterogeneity (I² = 95.27 percent). Patients treated with platinum-based agents and taxanes had the highest prevalence of chronic painful CIPN (40.44 and 38.35 percent, respectively); among primary cancers, the highest prevalence was reported by those with lung cancer (60.26 percent). Nonsignificant moderators of prevalence estimates included study design, human development index, and publication year.

“The wide variability in prevalence rates across different countries, continents, chemotherapy regimens, and primary cancer history underscores the need for tailored strategies to address this debilitating condition,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text