Satiamurthy Raajeswari, Mohamed Shah Noraida, Ab Muin Nur Fa'izah, Azmi Norazrina, Ismail Che Aishah Nazariah, Yaakob Nor Syafinaz
Center for Drug and Herbal Development, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Centre of Quality Management of Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
J Cancer Educ. 2025 Apr 11. doi: 10.1007/s13187-025-02624-z.
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is often an overlooked side effect, affecting cancer patients' quality of life. Improving this requires an in-depth understanding of how patients perceived their CIPN experience, which this study had explored. This study also sought to identify potential barriers to current CIPN management among Malaysian cancer patients. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted among cancer patients who had a confirmed diagnosis of CIPN from one hospital and a local cancer organization. Interviews were conducted until theme saturation was achieved (N = 22). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged: manageable CIPN experiences impacting activities of daily living despite limited awareness, current conventional treatments of CIPN were partially effective with side effects, and explorative of alternative treatment options for CIPN. The study results indicated that patients experienced CIPN, which was considerably mild and impacted their life activities to a small extent. The limited information provided about CIPN contributed to a sense of uncertainty among patients. They emphasized the importance of more accessible information and education about CIPN and its management. Although the conventional management of CIPN was able to partly control symptoms, patients experienced side effects from the prescribed medications. Interestingly, patients expressed openness to explore new treatments to help them cope better with CIPN. These findings highlighted the need for a comprehensive, patient-centred approach to CIPN management. Insights from patient experiences could guide the development of educational interventions, such as patient's assessment form on CIPN experiences and awareness activities to enhance CIPN care.
化疗引起的周围神经病变（CIPN）常常是一种被忽视的副作用，影响着癌症患者的生活质量。改善这一状况需要深入了解患者如何看待他们的CIPN经历，本研究对此进行了探索。本研究还试图确定马来西亚癌症患者当前CIPN管理的潜在障碍。对来自一家医院和一个当地癌症组织的确诊患有CIPN的癌症患者进行了半结构化一对一访谈。访谈持续进行直至达到主题饱和（N = 22）。访谈进行了录音，逐字转录，并采用主题分析进行分析。出现了三个主要主题：尽管认识有限，但可控制的CIPN经历影响日常生活活动；当前CIPN的传统治疗部分有效但有副作用；探索CIPN的替代治疗选择。研究结果表明，患者经历了CIPN，其程度相当轻微，对其生活活动的影响较小。关于CIPN提供的信息有限导致患者产生不确定感。他们强调了获取更多关于CIPN及其管理的信息和教育的重要性。尽管CIPN的传统管理能够部分控制症状，但患者经历了所开药物的副作用。有趣的是，患者表示愿意探索新的治疗方法以更好地应对CIPN。这些发现凸显了对CIPN管理采取全面、以患者为中心的方法的必要性。患者经历的见解可指导教育干预措施的制定，如关于CIPN经历的患者评估表和提高CIPN护理的宣传活动。
