Correlation between total dose of cisplatin and vibratory perception threshold in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy of cancer patients

The relationship between vibratory perception threshold (VPT) and the cumulative dose of cisplatin was evaluated in thirty patients treated with chemotherapy including cisplatin. The interval between the termination of chemotherapy and the neurological examination ranged from 8 to 583 days. The regimens used for the treatment were cisplatin + vindesine + mitomycin C (12 patients), cisplatin + etoposide (9), cisplatin + VM-26 (5) and others (4). The VPT at toe and hand correlated well with total dose of cisplatin (toe: R²=0.36, P=0.008, hand: R²=0.44, P=0.001). A high correlation was demonstrated in patients whose intervals between chemotherapy without vinca alkaloids and the evaluation of VPT were less than one month. (n=7, R²=0.777, P=0.0087) By stepwise multiple regression analysis, the total dose of cisplatin only influenced the VPT of the hand. The frequencies of other neuropathic symptoms and signs were as follows: mild to moderate numbness in 19, paresthesia in 4, decrease of sensation of taste in 13, tinnitus in 4, changes of smell in 10, and absence of Achilles tendon reflex in 1.