Assessment of Pediatric Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Using a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure: The...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Neuro-oncology
• Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)

Background:

• Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a significant challenge for pediatric cancer patients receiving neurotoxic treatments.
• Existing patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures for CIPN lack validation in pediatric populations.
• The absence of validated pediatric PROs hinders accurate assessment and management of CIPN in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Pediatric Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy (P-CIN) electronic PRO measure for its sensitivity, reliability, validity, and feasibility.
• To assess the P-CIN's ability to measure CIPN in children undergoing neurotoxic chemotherapy.
• To establish a reliable and valid tool for children to report their experiences with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.

Main Methods:

• Content validity of the 14-item P-CIN was assessed by five expert reviewers.
• Seventy-nine children (ages 5-17) with CIPN completed the P-CIN on a tablet; a subset underwent neurological examination (Pediatric-Modified Total Neuropathy Score).
• The P-CIN underwent revisions and was retested on a small group (n=6) alongside motor function assessments (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency).

Main Results:

• The revised 13-item P-CIN demonstrated strong content validity (index coefficients .80-1.0).
• The P-CIN showed good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .83) after item deletion.
• P-CIN scores strongly correlated with established clinical measures (Pediatric-Modified Total Neuropathy Score: r = .52; Bruininks-Oseretsky Test: r = -.83), indicating convergent validity.
• Sixty-eight percent of children aged 6-17 could complete the P-CIN independently.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings support the 13-item P-CIN as an internally consistent, valid, and feasible electronic PRO measure for pediatric CIPN.
• The P-CIN can be independently completed by children aged six years and older.
• Further validation studies are recommended to confirm the P-CIN's utility in diverse pediatric oncology populations.