title: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and its impact on health-related quality of life among ovarian cancer survivors: results from the population-based PROFILES registry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, and its impact on health-related quality of life among ovarian cancer survivors, 2-12 years after diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (n=348) diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2000 and 2010, as registered by the Dutch population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry, were eligible for participation. A questionnaire, including the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-OV28 measures, containing 3 items about neuropathy, was returned by 191 women (55%). Recurrence and chemotherapy data were obtained from medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all 191 women, the 129 women who received chemotherapy more often reported having tingling hands/feet and feeling numbness in fingers/toes, specifically 51% reported "a little" to "very much" of these symptoms vs. about 27% who did not receive chemotherapy. Women reporting more neuropathy symptoms reported lower levels of functioning and overall quality of life. They also reported more symptoms of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, and financial problems. Moreover, women reporting more neuropathy symptoms had experienced the disease and treatment more often as being a burden and were more worried about their health, had more gastrointestinal and hormonal symptoms, hair loss and more other chemotherapy side effects. Linear regression analyses showed that more cycles of chemotherapy, more recurrences and a shorter period since last treatment were associated with a higher neuropathy score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neuropathy symptoms were experienced by 51% of women with ovarian cancer who received chemotherapy even up to 12 years after the end of treatment, and this seriously affected their HRQoL.
authors.affiliation: CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Eindhoven Cancer Registry, Comprehensive Cancer Center the Netherlands, The Netherlands. Electronic address: n.ezendam@iknl.nl.
authors.forename: Nicole P M
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Ezendam
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. Electronic address: b.pijlman@jbz.nl.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pijlman
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. Electronic address: Celine.Bhugwandass@radboudumc.nl.
authors.forename: Celine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bhugwandass
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.pruijt@jbz.nl.
authors.forename: Johannes F M
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pruijt
authors.affiliation: CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Eindhoven Cancer Registry, Comprehensive Cancer Center the Netherlands, The Netherlands. Electronic address: f.mols@uvt.nl.
authors.forename: Floortje
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mols
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Elisabeth Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg and Waalwijk, The Netherlands. Electronic address: c.vos@elisabeth.nl.
authors.forename: M Caroline
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Vos
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Elisabeth Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg and Waalwijk, The Netherlands. Electronic address: hpijnenborg@tsz.nl.
authors.forename: Johanna M A
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pijnenborg
authors.affiliation: CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Eindhoven Cancer Registry, Comprehensive Cancer Center the Netherlands, The Netherlands. Electronic address: l.vdpoll@iknl.nl.
authors.forename: Lonneke V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: van de Poll-Franse
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: Cancer; Chemotherapy; Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy; Health-related quality of life; Neuropathy; Neurotoxicity; Oncology; Ovarian cancer