Chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy. Part I. Pathophysiology

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a toxic neuropathy, a syndrome consisting of highly distressing symptoms of various degrees of severity. It includes numbness of distal extremities, long-term touch, heat, and cold dysaesthesia and, in more severe cases, motor impairment affecting daily functioning. Each form of the syndrome may be accompanied by symptoms of neuropathic stinging, burning, and tingling pain. In the case of most chemotherapeutic agents, the incidence and severity of CIPN are dependent on the cumulative dose of the drug. The syndrome described is caused by damage to the axons and/or cells of the peripheral nervous system.