Association of Taxane Type With Patient-Reported Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Among Patients With Breast Cancer

Understanding the detailed symptom spectrum of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) could facilitate shared decision-making and promote early intervention. To compare the symptom spectrum of patient-reported CIPN associated with nab-paclitaxel, paclitaxel, and docetaxel treatments among patients with breast cancer. This prospective cohort study was conducted at 9 medical centers across China from 2019 to 2021. Participants included hospitalized women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, assessed with overlap propensity score weighting. Data were analyzed from from December 2021 to May 2022. Treatment with nab-paclitaxel-, paclitaxel-, or docetaxel-based regimens. Patient-reported CIPN on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire: CIPN 20-item instruments, consisting of sensory, motor, and autonomic scales. Multiple regression models were adjusted for baseline patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics. Of 1234 participants, the mean (SD) age was 50.9 (10.4) years, and 295 patients (23.9%) received nab-paclitaxel, 514 patients (41.7%) received paclitaxel, and 425 patients (34.4%) received docetaxel. The nab-paclitaxel group mostly reported numbness in hands or feet related to sensory symptoms (83 patients [81.4%]), while the paclitaxel and docetaxel groups reported mainly motor (eg, weakness in legs: 60 patients [47.2%] in the paclitaxel group; 52 patients [44.4%] in the docetaxel group) and autonomic (eg, blurred vision: 58 patients [45.7%] in the paclitaxel group; 51 patients [43.6%] in the docetaxel group) symptoms. Patients reported motor symptoms earlier than sensory abnormalities, with a median of 0.4 (95% CI, 0.4-2.3) weeks in the nab-paclitaxel group, 2.7 (95% CI, 1.7-3.4) weeks in the paclitaxel group, and 5.6 (95% CI, 3.1-6.1) weeks in the docetaxel group. After overlap propensity score weighting and compared with the nab-paclitaxel group, the risks of patient-reported CIPN were lower in the paclitaxel (hazard ratio [HR], 0.59 [95% CI, 0.41-0.87]; P = .008) and the docetaxel (HR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.45-0.94]; P = .02) groups. Similarly, patients who received paclitaxel (HR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.30-0.64]; P