Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and its correlation with activities of daily living, psychological well-being, grip strength, and quality of life in cancer subjects: An observational study

Abstract

Background and Objective: The incidence of cancer is rapidly rising, resulting in an increase in the number of patients opting for chemotherapy. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the adverse and long-lasting side effects which evidently affects the activities of daily living (ADLs), quality of life, and psychological status. The objective of the present study was to assess for CIPN and find its correlation with grip strength, ADL, psychological variables, and quality of life. Settings and Design: This was an observational study undertaken in a tertiary care centre and cancer hospital for a period of 6 months. Materials and Methods: 102 subjects aged between 18 and 70 years were recruited. Subjects were evaluated using Modified Total Neuropathy Score (mTNS), Hand dynamometer, KLE University Institute of Physiotherapy (KLEU-IPT) Objective Functional Assessment Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42), and functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G). Results: CIPN seemed to be more evident in lower limbs than the upper limbs when assessed using mTNS scale. There was a statistical significance in reduction of grip strength (P = 0.00), KLEUIPT-OFS, DASS-42, and FACT-G with significant positive correlation (r = 0.05) with mTNS scores. Conclusion: CIPN demonstrated to be more pronounced in lower limbs than upper limbs. CIPN has shown to have significant correlation with the grip strength, quality of life, ADLs, depression, and anxiety, suggesting an early physical therapy intervention to avoid such complications.