Subclinical pretreatment sensory deficits appear to predict the development of pain and numbness in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a major complication in the treatment for cancer, including multiple myeloma (MM). Patients may develop painful and non-painful (e.g., numbness) neuropathy symptoms that impair function and often persist after therapy is terminated. This study tested the hypothesis that baseline subclinical neuropathy, as assessed by sensory thresholds, is related to the development of neuropathy symptoms (e.g., pain and numbness) in patients with MM undergoing treatment with chemotherapy.

METHODS

Patients (n = 56) who had undergone two or fewer cycles of induction therapy and who had no evident neuropathy were assessed using quantitative sensory tests to determine multiple-modality sensory thresholds. Patient-reported pain and numbness were assessed through induction therapy (16 weeks) via the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory. A subset of participants (n = 15) continued reporting on their symptoms for an additional 16 weeks ("maintenance phase").

RESULTS

Patients with sharpness detection deficits at baseline (n = 11, 20 % of sample) reported less severe pain and numbness during induction therapy and less numbness during maintenance therapy (P < 0.05). During the maintenance phase, patients with warmth detection deficits (n = 5, 38 % of sample) reported more severe pain and numbness, and those with skin temperature deficits (n = 7, 47 % of maintenance sample) reported more severe pain (P < 0.05). These deficits were related to patient reported difficulty walking, a common symptom of peripheral neuropathy.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that baseline subclinical sensory deficits may be related to a patient's risk for developing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.