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1. Background
Leukemia is the most common type of neoplasia in children aged 0 - 14 years (1, 2). Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common subtype of leukemia. Treatment for ALL depends almost entirely on the chemotherapy regimen. In recent years, long-term complications secondary to treatment have been reported to be more frequent due to an increase in ALL survival rates.
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is defined as a lesion, inflammation, or degeneration of the peripheral nerves caused by the administration of a chemotherapeutic agent (3). Neurological manifestations can be grouped into one of the three functional divisions of the peripheral nervous system (PNS): sensory, motor and autonomic. The CIPN usually presents in nerves of greater length, that is why, the first symptoms occur in feet and hands, and progresses from distal to proximal (4).
Currently, the incidence of CIPN is 30% - 40% for all types of cancer. CIPN affects not only the quality of life but also, it can lead to interruption or decrease in the dose of chemotherapy which could potentially affect the overall survival of cancer patients (5-7).
Antineoplastic agents most frequently associated with peripheral neuropathy are taxanes, platines, vincristine, thalidomide and bortezomib (8, 9). The degree and type of neuropathy depends on the chemotherapeutic agent employed, as well as its cumulative dose. The diagnosis of CIPN is established by abnormalities in the medical history, physical examination, and nerve electrophysiology (10).
Noteworthy, so far no drug or nutritional supplement has been shown to be capable of preventing or limiting chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, highlighting the relevance to opportunely detect and treat this complication in children with leukemia (11). To our knowledge, there is no previous report on the frequency and type of CIPN in Mexican children with ALL.
2. Objectives
To report the frequency and type of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in a sample of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Mexican pediatric patients.
3. Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. We included all children with diagnosis of ALL who met the selection criteria and attended during study period (January 1st to July 30th, 2016) at either outpatient clinic or hospitalization department of the Pediatrics Hospital of the National Medical Center (The Siglo XXI), Mexican Institute of Social Security, which is a tertiary...