The Use of Vitamin E in Preventing Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy. Several trials have evaluated the protective effect of vitamin E in preventing CIPN with controversial results. This study aims to outline the role of vitamin E in preventing CIPN. A prospective phase II, open-label randomized controlled study was conducted in patients receiving taxane-based chemotherapy in Ain Shams University Hospitals, using vitamin E at a dose of 400 mg twice daily. The primary endpoint was the incidence of grade ≥2 sensory neuropathy according to CTCAE v 5.0 in each treatment arm. Secondary endpoints include time to onset and the duration of grade ≥2 sensory neuropathy. A total of 140 patients were randomized between the control and vitamin E arms. There was no difference in the incidence of grade ≥2 sensory neuropathy between the two arms (25.7% in each arm; P=1.0), as well as the time to onset of neuropathy (P=0.24). However, there was a statistically significant difference between the 2 arms as regards the duration of neuropathy. The median duration was 12.5 vs. 5 weeks in the control and vitamin E arms respectively (P = 0.01).