Abstract P1-09-04: Longitudinal evaluation of taxane-induced neuropathy in early stage breast cancer

Introduction Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a dose-limiting toxicity of several chemotherapy drug classes, including taxanes. Peripheral neuropathies have been shown to lead to pain, falls, and difficulty in walking and performing activities of daily living in a variety of patient populations. Although the prevalence of CIPN has been noted in cancer patients, the development of self-reported symptoms, gait changes and balance changes during treatment have not been well explored to date. We hypothesized that the use of taxane-based chemotherapy will result in significant changes in spatiotemporal gait and balance parameters, as well as self-reported quality of life and function. Methods We characterized the alterations in gait and balance that occur in non-metastatic breast cancer patients during taxane chemotherapy. We evaluated (1) spatiotemporal gait parameters, including cadence and step length, and (2) balance parameters, including time-to-contact and 95% ellipse area, using each patient as her own control. Laboratory assessment of gait and balance was conducted at baseline and at completion of therapy in selected patients. We compared the natural history of changes in gait and balance parameters with changes in CIPN status as measured by validated patient reported outcomes, including EORTC QLQ-C30, CIPN-20, and Brief Pain Inventory Short Form (BPI-SF), and the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI). Time points included pre-chemotherapy, after each cycle of chemotherapy, and one month after the end of therapy to collect information on neuropathy, pain and functional capacity. The preliminary data were illustrated using individual plots; trend lines (changing over time) were based on least square means at each time point, which were estimated using the linear mixed models for repeated measures. Results To date, 15 patients with localized breast cancer have been enrolled; patient recruitment is ongoing. The median age is 42 years (range 25-67). Ten patients (67%) received weekly paclitaxel, 1 patient (7%) received paclitaxel every 2 weeks, and 4 patients (27%) received docetaxel every 3 weeks. Preliminary results with these 15 patients, based on least square means at each timepoint, showed trends in several parameters. As treatments progressed, patients tended to develop more difficulty in quiet balance and in their ability to actively shift weight in the sagittal and frontal planes. From the CIPN-20, they also tended to develop increased difficulty with sensory and motor systems. From the QLQ-C30, their global health status also tended to worsen. For most of these parameters, the largest changes were observed between the 2nd and 3rd treatments, though some changes were not observed until the 4th treatment. From the BPI-SF, no trends in pain symptoms or pain interference were observed within this preliminary cohort. Conclusions Gait and balance testing is feasible in the clinical setting. Preliminary observations suggest that balance, function and quality of life may all be affected by taxane therapy, even without pain symptoms. The findings of this study will enable us to better characterize the neurotoxic effect of taxanes and to ultimately test the effectiveness of preventative measures and interventions. Funding by NCI R03CA182165-01. Citation Format: Maryam B Lustberg, Scott Monfort, Janani Singaravelu, Raquel E Reinbolt, Xueliang Pan, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, Rachel M Layman, Robert Wesolowski, Ewa Mrozek, Erin Macrae, Charles Shapiro, Robyn Patrick, Charles L Loprinzi, Ajit Chaudhari. Longitudinal evaluation of taxane-induced neuropathy in early stage breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-09-04.