Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tools: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Neuroscience
• Clinical Nursing

Background:

• Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, debilitating side effect of cancer treatment.
• Existing CIPN assessment tools lack systematic review regarding their quality, psychometric properties, and clinical practicality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the quality, psychometric properties, and practicality of tools used for assessing CIPN.
• To identify recommended tools for routine CIPN assessment in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Conducted electronic searches in Medline, PubMed, CINAHL®, and Cochrane Library (1980-2015).
• Included studies on cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with reported psychometric properties of CIPN assessment tools.
• Extracted data, assessed study quality, and evaluated tools for psychometric properties and practicality.

Main Results:

• Reviewed 19 studies describing 20 CIPN assessment tools.
• Study quality varied; validity ranged from low to high, and reliability (internal consistency) was 0.56-0.96.
• Poor inter-rater agreement was noted, and not all tools were practical for clinical use.

Conclusions:

• The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-Ntx) and Total Neuropathy Score (TNS) demonstrate favorable psychometric properties and practicality.
• These recommended tools are crucial for routine CIPN assessment to improve patient quality of life.