Chemotherapy-induced Neuropathy—Where Are We Now?

Among the most debilitating of chemotherapy-related toxicities is neuropathy, which is associated with several commonly used oncologic agents. The specific characteristics of neurotoxicity vary between inciting drugs, with important differences in symptom characteristics and clinical course. No medications have been found to effectively prevent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, and investigations of predictors of severe neurotoxicity to date explain only a small part of susceptibility (making it difficult to tailor chemotherapies to individual risk). Treatment has also been challenging. Although duloxetine is modestly beneficial, and Scrambler therapy shows promise in preliminary studies, no other therapies have been proved to be effective.