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Duloxetine improves oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy in patients with colorectal cancer: an open-label pilot study

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Abstract

Background

This open-label pilot study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the antidepressant duloxetine, which is effective for diabetic neuropathic pain, in the treatment of chronic oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN).

Methods

We enrolled a total of 39 patients with stage III or IV colorectal cancer with chronic OIPN. They were treated with duloxetine by increasing the dose from 30 mg/day to 60 mg/day. Patients’ pain intensity was rated at baseline and 12 weeks after duloxetine administration. The severity of neuropathic pain was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) score and the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3 (NCI-CTCAE v3.0).

Results

Nine patients (23.1%) discontinued duloxetine before the end of treatment because of adverse events. Of the remaining 30 patients, 19 patients (63.3%) had a VAS score improvement. Among them, nine (47.4%) showed a simultaneous grade improvement, and the other 10 patients (52.6%) had a stable grade according to NCI-CTCAE v3.0. Treatment with duloxetine did not impair renal or liver function and did not interfere with chemotherapy.

Conclusions

Duloxetine is feasible in treating chronic OIPN with tolerable toxicity at a daily dose of 60 mg/day.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by grants from the Taiwan Clinical Oncology Research Foundation.

Disclosures

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Hospital Renai Branch, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ya-Hsu Yang

  2. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Jen-Kou Lin, Wei-Shone Chen, Tzu-Chen Lin, Shung-Haur Yang, Jeng-Kai Jiang, Shih-Ching Chang, Yuan-Tzu Lan & Chun-Chi Lin

  3. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shi-Pai Road, Taipei, 112, Taiwan

    Chueh-Chuan Yen, Cheng-Hwai Tzeng, Chung-Jen Teng & Hao-Wei Teng

  4. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, No. 152, **n Min Road, Yilan, 26042, Taiwan

    Wei-Shu Wang & Chung-Jen Teng

  5. Department of Psychiatry, New Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Huey-Ling Chiang

  6. Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Huey-Ling Chiang

  7. Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Hao-Wei Teng

  8. National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ya-Hsu Yang, Jen-Kou Lin, Wei-Shone Chen, Tzu-Chen Lin, Shung-Haur Yang, Jeng-Kai Jiang, Shih-Ching Chang, Yuan-Tzu Lan, Chun-Chi Lin, Chueh-Chuan Yen, Cheng-Hwai Tzeng, Wei-Shu Wang, Chung-Jen Teng & Hao-Wei Teng

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  1. Ya-Hsu Yang
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  2. Jen-Kou Lin
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  11. Cheng-Hwai Tzeng
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chung-Jen Teng or Hao-Wei Teng.

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Chung-Jen Teng and Hao-Wei Teng have equal contribution.

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Yang, YH., Lin, JK., Chen, WS. et al. Duloxetine improves oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy in patients with colorectal cancer: an open-label pilot study. Support Care Cancer 20, 1491–1497 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1237-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1237-2

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