Subjective and objective assessment of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy.
772 Background: Oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN), for which no therapy has been firmly established, is a critical factor that makes the continuation of chemotherapy difficult. Numbness and pain are currently evaluated using subjective methods such as the visual analog scale (VAS). However, because the assessment of pain can greatly vary depending on the mood and physical state of the patient at the time of assessment, it is best to objectively evaluate pain. Therefore, a method for objective assessment is also required to evaluate drugs designed to ameliorate PN. Pain Vision PS-2100 (PV) is an analytical instrument that was designed to quantitatively and objectively assess sense perception and nociception in a patient. Although it is used in the field of anesthesiology, there have been no reports concerning its use for the assessment of oxaliplatin-induced PN. Methods: The present study examined the correlation of subjective and objective assessment results using VAS and PV, respectively, for cases of oxaliplatin-induced PN. Subjects comprised 58 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent chemotherapy at the Fukuoka University. Results: Both VAS and PV assessments of PN were performed 173 times in total, and partial correlation coefficient analysis adjusted by subject and gender. The VAS and PV mean values of PN were 20.5 (0–100) and 27.9 (0–416), respectively. The partial correlation coefficient was 0.258 (p=0.0053). Conclusions: Although both assessments evaluated the same events, no strong correlation was observed between the results and a weak correlation was observed between VAS and PV. These results suggest that because VAS and PV each measure different factors, both subjective and objective assessments of drugs designed to ameliorate oxaliplatin-induced PN are necessary.