Skip to main content

Abstract

Chemotherapeutic agents, while essential for the management of many cancers, come with a myriad of side effects. This chapter concerns itself with the processes by which antineoplastic agents induce pain. These mechanisms include disruption of cells with a high mitotic index resulting in both direct and indirect cellular damage and/or cell death. Therapeutic classes such as the taxanes, vinca alkaloids, and platinum agents are historically most culpable for patient neuropathies. Additionally, common toxicities include mucositis, arthralgias, hand-foot syndrome, and infusion-related discomfort. Practitioners should plan for these painful side effects and mitigate the risks of chemotherapeutic agents accordingly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Cooper G. The cell: a molecular approach. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: ASM Press; 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Brunton LL, et al. Goodman & Gilman’s pharmacologic basis of therapeutics. 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Companies; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Katsung BG, Masters SB, Trevor AJ. Basic and clinical pharmacology. 11th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Medical; 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  4. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. NCCN.org

  5. Stoelting RK, Hillier SC. Pharmacology and physiology in anesthetic practice. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006. p. 551–68.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Floyd J, Mirza I, Sachs B, Perry MC. Hepatotoxicity of chemotherapy. Semin Oncol. 2006;33(1):50–67. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.seminoncol.2005.11.002.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Malik SW, Myers JL, DeRemee RA, Specks U. Lung toxicity associated with cyclophosphamide use. Two distinct patterns. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996;154(6 Pt 1):1851–6. https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm.154.6.8970380.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Bamat M, Tremmel R, O’Neil J. Uridine triacetate: an investigational orally administered, life-saving antidote for 5FU oversode. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, Chicago. 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  9. McEvilly M, Popelas C, Tremmel B. Use of uridine triacetate for the management of fluorouracil overdose. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2011;68(19):1806–9. https://doi.org/10.2146/ajhp100434.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Polyzos A, Tsavaris N, Gogas H, Souglakos J, Vambakas L, Vardakas N, et al. Clinical features of hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin: a 10-year experience. Oncology. 2009;76(1):36–41. https://doi.org/10.1159/000178163.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Loprinzi CL, Qin R, Dakhil SR, et al. Phase III randomized, placebo (PL)-controlled, double-blind study of intravenous calcium/magnesium (CaMg) to prevent Oxaliplatin-induced sensory neurotoxicity (sNT), N08CB: an alliance for clinical trials in oncology study. J Clin Oncol. 2013;31:3501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Sleijfer S. Bleomycin-induced pneumonitis. Chest. 2001;120(2):617–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hay JG, Haslam PL, Dewar A, et al. Development of acute lung injury after the combination of intravenous bleomycin and exposure to hyperoxia in rats. Thorax. 1987;42:374–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Sonis ST, Elting LS, Keefe D, Peterson DE, Schubert M, Hauer-Jensen M, Bekele BN, Raber-Durlacher J, Donnelly JP. Rubenstein EB; mucositis study section of the multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer; International Society for Oral Oncology. Perspectives on cancer therapy-induced mucosal injury: pathogenesis, measurement, epidemiology, and consequences for patients. Cancer. 2004;100(9 Suppl):1995–2025.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Park SB, Lin CS, Krishnan AV, Goldstein D, Friedlander ML, Kiernan MC. Oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity: changes in axonal excitability precede development of neuropathy. Brain. 2009;132(Pt 10):2712–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awp219. Epub 2009 Sep 10

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Windebank AJ, Grisold W. Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. J Peripher Nerv Syst. 2008;13(1):27–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8027.2008.00156.x. Review

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Freilich RJ, Balmaceda C, Seidman AD, Rubin M, DeAngelis LM. Motor neuropathy due to docetaxel and paclitaxel. Neurology. 1996;47(1):115–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Reeves BN, Dakhil SR, Sloan JA, Wolf SL, Burger KN, Kamal A, Le-Lindqwister NA, Soori GS, Jaslowski AJ, Kelaghan J, Novotny PJ, Lachance DH, Loprinzi CL. Further data supporting that paclitaxel-associated acute pain syndrome is associated with development of peripheral neuropathy: north central Cancer treatment group trial N08C1. Cancer. 2012;118(20):5171–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.27489. Epub 2012 Mar 13. PubMed PMID: 22415454; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3376686

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Krarup-Hansen A, Helweg-Larsen S, Schmalbruch H, Rørth M, Krarup C. Neuronal involvement in cisplatin neuropathy: prospective clinical and neurophysiological studies. Brain. 2007;130(Pt 4):1076–88. Epub 2007 Feb 14

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. von Schlippe M, Fowler CJ, Harland SJ. Cisplatin neurotoxicity in the treatment of metastatic germ cell tumour: time course and prognosis. Br J Cancer. 2001;85(6):823–6. PubMed PMID: 11556831; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2375074

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Argyriou AA, Cavaletti G, Briani C, Velasco R, Bruna J, Campagnolo M, Alberti P, Bergamo F, Cortinovis D, Cazzaniga M, Santos C, Papadimitriou K, Kalofonos HP. Clinical pattern and associations of oxaliplatin acute neurotoxicity: a prospective study in 170 patients with colorectal cancer. Cancer. 2013;119(2):438–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.27732. Epub 2012 Jul 11

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Verstappen CC, Koeppen S, Heimans JJ, Huijgens PC, Scheulen ME, Strumberg D, Kiburg B, Postma TJ. Dose-related vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy with unexpected off-therapy worsening. Neurology. 2005;64(6):1076–7. PubMed PMID: 15781834

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. McLeod JG, Penny R. Vincristine neuropathy: an electrophysiological and histological study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1969;32(4):297–304. PubMed PMID: 4309019; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC496516

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Legha SS. Vincristine neurotoxicity. Pathophysiology and management. Med Toxicol. 1986;1(6):421–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Hershman DL, Unger JM, Crew KD, Minasian LM, Awad D, Moinpour CM, Hansen L, Lew DL, Greenlee H, Fehrenbacher L, Wade JL 3rd, Wong SF, Hortobagyi GN, Meyskens FL, Albain KS. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of acetyl-L-carnitine for the prevention of taxane-induced neuropathy in women undergoing adjuvant breast cancer therapy. J Clin Oncol. 2013;31(20):2627–33. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2012.44.8738. Epub 2013 Jun 3. PubMed PMID: 23733756; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3699727

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Alsaab HO, Sau S, Alzhrani R, Tatiparti K, Bhise K, Kashaw SK, Iyer AK. PD-1 and PD-L1 checkpoint signaling inhibition for cancer immunotherapy: mechanism, combinations, and clinical outcome. Front Pharmacol. 2017;8:561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Fang F, Xiao W, Tian Z. NK cell-based immunotherapy for cancer. Semin Immunol. 2017;31:37–54.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. De Velasco G, Je Y, Bossé D, Awad MM, Ott PA, Moreira RB, Schutz F, Bellmunt J, Sonpavde GP, Hodi FS, Choueiri TK. Comprehensive meta-analysis of key immune-related adverse events from CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in cancer patients. Cancer Immunol Res. 2017;5(4):312–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Gritsenko, K., Lubrano, M. (2019). Chemotherapy. In: Gulati, A., Puttanniah, V., Bruel, B., Rosenberg, W., Hung, J. (eds) Essentials of Interventional Cancer Pain Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99684-4_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99684-4_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99682-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99684-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics