The Biology Behind Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy: Leukemia Inhibitory Factor

Peripheral neurotoxicity is a dose-limiting and disabling side effect of several important chemotherapeutic agents. In particular, vincristine, cisplatin, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, and docetaxel are frequently used antineoplastic agents, which are known causes of a peripheral neuropathy. The recently registered proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which is effective in multiple myeloma, is the latest example of an effective antineoplastic agent, which may cause a severe—and often painful—neuropathy. Most of these agents cause an axonal neuropathy, leading to damage of the core of the peripheral neuron, but there are actually quite large differences between the neuropathies each of these agents cause.