Taxane-induced peripheral sensorial neuropathy in cancer patients is associated with duration of diabetes mellitus: a single-center retrospective study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) influences the incidence and severity of peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN) in patients using taxane therapy. Methods A retrospective single-center analysis was conducted: Patients with PSN at baseline were excluded. The incidence of PSN was evaluated retrospectively in patient subgroups who received taxane arm and taxane-plus-platinum-agents combination arm with or without known DM at baseline. Results Three hundred seventy-four patients were enrolled in this study, 81 (21.6 %) of patients had DM at baseline. The incidence of grade 1 PSN (non-DM/DM) in patients receiving taxane-based chemotherapy was 33.4/25.9 % and more than grade 2 PSN (non-DM/DM) was 15/34.6 %. The rate of neuropathy of non-diabetic patients was 48.8 %, while the rate of diabetic patients was 52.8 and 75 % in DM duration below 5 years and above 5 years group, respectively. Conclusions This retrospective analysis indicates that taxane-based therapy in DM patients whose disease duration is above 5 years appears to affect the incidence and severity of PSN without known baseline neuropathy. The probability of PSN with taxane-based therapy was similar in DM duration below 5 years and non-DM patients.