title: The Total Neuropathy Score as an assessment tool for grading the course of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity: comparison with the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Scale.
abstract: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a major side effect of several antineoplastic drugs. However, despite its clinical importance, there is no agreement as to the best way to assess the severity and changes in CIPN. We have previously demonstrated a correlation between the severity of CIPN, assessed using the Total Neuropathy Score (TNS) or its reduced versions, and several common toxicity scales. In this study, we investigated two series of patients (total number = 173) who were evaluated at baseline and during chemotherapy with the TNS (n= 122) or the TNSc (the TNS version based exclusively on the clinical evaluation of the patients, n= 51) and with the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) 2.0, with the aim of comparing the sensitivity to the changes in CIPN severity. In both series, the TNS and the TNSc had a significant correlation with the NCI-CTC in scoring the severity of CIPN, confirming the results of previous studies. Moreover, both the TNS and the TNSc showed a higher sensitivity to CIPN changes. We, therefore, propose the TNSc as a reliable method for assessing not only the severity but also the changes in CIPN.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Neuroscienze e Tecnologie Biomediche, Università di Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy. guido.cavaletti@unimib.it
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavaletti
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frigeni
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lanzani
authors.forename: Marialuisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piatti
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Briani
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zara
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plasmati
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pastorelli
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caraceni
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: Mariagrazia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manicone
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lissoni
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zanna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents