The effect of peripheral neuropathy on daily life activities in patients receiving chemotherapy

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between pain and pain related factors associated with peripheral neuropathy and daily life activities in patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods: The study used a descriptive and cross-sectional design to examine 80 patients who came to the outpatient chemotherapy unit of two university hospitals to receive chemotherapy drugs such as taxane, platinum analogs and vinca alkaloids. The data were collected by using face-to-face interview method through “General Information Form”, “S-LANSS Pain Scale” that is a bedside test for distinctive diagnosis of neuropathic pain and “Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)” which is a scale prepared by the researcher and measures daily activities to evaluate physical disability. Results: In the group with neuropathic pain, HAQ scores ( p = .003; p < .01) and S-LANSS scores ( p = .005; p < .01) of the patients who did not have hand-foot complaints prior to the treatment but experienced hand-foot discomfort with the beginning of chemotherapy treatment, were found to be statistically significantly higher. There was a statistically significant positive relation between HAQ score and S-LANSS pain score at the level of 61.2% ( r = 0.612; p = .001; p < .01). Conclusions: It was concluded that the symptoms of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) and related pain and pain-related factors negatively affect the level of doing daily life activities.