Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (CIPN): Why should we care?

Abstract 

Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a long-lasting toxicity that hampers quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors. CIPN is under-recognized for methodological issues in its assessment and its socio-economical costs are still unknown. We will address this in 2 working packages (WP). In WP1 we will rely on the experience of the Principal Investigator, Paola Alberti, MD, PhD, who oversees an outpatient’s service for CIPN: we will enrol CIPN patients and accurately detect and grade neuropathy signs/symptoms to match these with QoL, ADL and socio-economic condition assessment. In WP2 we will analyse a general database UNIMIB has been granted access from Regione Lombardia. We will replicate analyses yet done on large cohorts for other medical conditions to roughly estimate economic burden and health-care related costs; we expect that CIPN and CIPN-related costs/burden might be underrepresented in WP2. Combining both datasets, we aim to drive potential indications to better detect CIPN and its consequences.