Swedish researchers have developed a novel tool that can predict the risk level of nerve damage in each individual from breast cancer treatment.
While once deadly cancer
is becoming treatable, many women treated for breast cancer using taxanes -- a
chemotherapy drug used to prevent breast cancer recurrence -- often experience
side effects in the nervous system.
The new tool, by
researchers at Linkoping University in Sweden, could help doctors adapt
treatment to avoid persistent side effects in those at the greatest risk.
Kristina Engvall from the
varsity noted that nerve damage is a very common side effect after treatment
with taxanes for breast cancer. They often persist for several years.
“For those affected, it
is extremely stressful, and it has a major impact on quality of life,” she
added.
For the study, published
in the journal npj Precision Oncology, the team surveyed side effects in 337
patients treated for breast cancer with either docetaxel or paclitaxel -- the
two most common taxane drugs.
Between two and six
years, more than one in four patients reported cramps in the feet as the most
common side effect of nerve damage, or peripheral neuropathy. Difficulty
opening a jar, numbness in feet, tingling in feet, and difficulty climbing
stairs were the other side effects.
To develop the prediction
model, the researchers sequenced the patients' genes and then built models that
link genetic characteristics to various side effects of the taxane treatment.
The researchers
succeeded in modelling the risk of persistent numbness and tingling in feet
using machine learning.
The two models separated
the patients into two sets: one with a high risk of persistent side effects,
and one that corresponded to the frequency of peripheral neuropathy in the
normal population.
Kristina noted that the
new tool can help personalise treatment.
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