[Prevalence of oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy: sex-related differences]

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a frequent and severe side effect of cancer treatment. Its prevalence in Argentina, and potential risk factors, remain unknown.

A cohort of 56 patients with colorectal carcinoma treated with oxaliplatin was studied. Clinical records were retrospectively analyzed to extract relevant data.

The study included 56 patients, 30 males (54%) and 26 females (46%). The therapeutic regimens used were FOLFOX (45%) and XELOX (55%). A total of 41 patients developed symptoms consistent with CIPN, with an overall prevalence of 73%. Prevalence was higher in women (88%) compared to men (60%), with an association found between female sex and the development of neurotoxicity (p=0.01). No significant associations were found with other factors such as age, overweight, tumor stage, chemotherapy regimen, or cumulative dose (p>0.05 in all cases). In the entire cohort, sex-related differences were only detected in the prevalence of overweight, being higher in men (p=0.0167). Among CIPN patients, sex-related differences were also found: men had a higher prevalence of overweight (p=0.0427) and received higher cumulative doses (p=0.0368), while XELOX was more frequently used in women (p=0.0495). In the subgroup of patients treated with XELOX, a higher prevalence of CIPN in women was again confirmed (p=0.0278).

Our results highlight the impact of sex on the prevalence and clinical presentation of this adverse effect of cancer treatment.