Peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients: incidence, features, and pathophysiology

Peripheral nerve disorders are a common problem in cancer patients. Clinical severity may range from mild acroparesthesia to ataxia so severe it makes patients bed-bound to muscle wasting so extensive it compromises respiratory function. Treatment-related neuropathies add to the patient's suffering and may even be a dose-limiting factor. While symptoms of neuropathic disease may be diverse, certain general patterns can be recognized. The author discusses clinical features and the latest methods of evaluation, including single fiber electromyography.