A prospective comparison study utilizing patient-reported outcomes of taxane-related peripheral neuropathy between nab-paclitaxel and standard paclitaxel in patients with breast cancer.

Abstract

Patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer who were scheduled to receive standard weekly paclitaxel (80mg/m2) or tri-weekly nab-paclitaxel (260mg/m2) at institutions in our multicenter group were eligible for this study. Sensory and motor PN were evaluated every 3weeks until PN improved for up to one year using patient-reported outcome. Between February 2011 and April 2013, 115 patients were enrolled, including 57 and 58 in the paclitaxel and nab-paclitaxel groups, respectively. The incidence of moderate or severe sensory PN was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.40). The incidence of moderate or higher motor PN was more frequent in the nab-paclitaxel group than in the paclitaxel group (p = 0.048). The median period for demonstrating PN were shorter in the nab-paclitaxel group than in the paclitaxel group (sensory, p = 0.003; motor, p = 0.001). The recovery of motor PN was slower in the nab-paclitaxel group than in the paclitaxel group (p = 0.035), while the recovery period of sensory PN was not statistically different. Nab-paclitaxel induced sensory PN sooner than paclitaxel, and no difference was observed in the severity and recovery duration between the two agents. Motor PN was more severe, started sooner, and improved over a longer period in the nab-paclitaxel-treated patients than in the paclitaxel-treated patients.